Members in Attendance (14): Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Laurie Pferr, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carol Heaney, Charlie Foote, Dick Drumm and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (1): Chris Bystroff

Guests (1): Mark Yurkiw

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Membership: Thanks to Carole Heaney and Terry Brewer for the great meeting last week on what Rotary is and who Rotarians are. Carole has proposed a pop-up sign to highlight the Rotary meeting and invite people to come join us. Roberto will check with Moscatellos. We are using the new banner and the old flags and banners have been moved to storage.

Food Drive: Per Phil Kellerman, he has received another $165 in post donations from the bowling fundraiser. The raised the amount of the donation to the food pantry to $1370.

Zoom AI: Carole Heaney is looking into using Zoom AI to take the meeting minutes. On May 14th, our District Rotary will have a webinar on this subject.

RI Contact Page: Our Treasurer and Secretary need to make sure our contact data is correct in Club Runner.

Treasurer Report: Phil Kellerman reported that the IRS cannot find the submitted paperwork. They are backlogged and processing paperwork submitted last September. Phil endeavors to persevere.

SRC Facebook: The Facebook page is live. Please join and invite others. It has been linked to the website and the old Facebook page has been removed.

Global Grant: The well came up dry. The water flow is so low that a low flow pressure pump cannot be used. Alternatively, they are now looking for a suitable location to collect rainwater. The water will need to be treated and stored. Since the church where the well was located is not a suitable location because it has its own collection system.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Ambulance (note change) from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Fifteen people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project will be on 5/15 at 1:30 pm.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer contacted Jeff Simon to set up another meeting with his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction and to identify the new site.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation. This is also Ray Hannan’s birthday. He will bring in cake for dessert.

Board Meeting: To be held on May 19th. Send any agenda items to Roberto Martinez.

Donation Jar: Donations from the jar will go to the Haiti eye clinic this year.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

District Grant: Needs to be submitted by the 15th.

Change-Over Dinner: The change-over will be held on June 19th at Debbie and Peter Brown”s house.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

CNY News: Information on all of CNY events and more are posted to the website, cnyrotary.org. CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending. The Club voted that Carole would represent SCR Rotary as our Delegate to the Convention.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 15 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Zoom WILL NOT be available. Program to be determined.

Entry Choices are Chicken Rustica Salid, Eggplant Pharm and Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Mark Yurkiv traveled across Ukraine to “deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid to the front lines near Kharkiv in the east.” He speaks the language and is trying to save lives. He was born in NYC and his parents spoke Ukrainian. He joined the army and was assigned to photography. He is also an artist with exhibitions in Aisa and Tiawan. For more information on his exhibits go to www.signsofcompassion.com.

In this 15min video Mark tries to immerse you in how the people in Ukraine integrate their daily lives with this senseless terrorism  https://youtu.be/AEGWEjRvZSA. The people are like us. They have homes, work and shop in supermarkets but at night they make drones.

For three years Mark has been filling shipping containers with obsolete medical supplies and equipment to fill shipping containers to send to Ukraine. Shipping is expensive. The link to donate for shipping is https://ridgefieldresponds.org/ridgefield4ukraine/.

Members in Attendance (14): Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Laurie Pferr Chris Bystroff, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carol Heaney, Kevin Flanigan and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (4): Chris Mallison, Mark Armstrong, Mike Dewey, and Audra Dibacco.

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney reported that the Town will put up the Peace Pole when the new basketball court is done.

Benefit Concert: The concert co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club was held last Saturday at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. Featuring the band Enjoyous, the concert raised $600 for the St. Paul Center. Phil Kellerman reported that he attended the Malta Rotary Club to thank them. They want to do a fundraiser concert to benefit Wellspring. Also, the Malta Club has an upcoming BBQ to raise funds for their back pack program. Also, a thank you to the Church for letting us use their space and to Phil for planning and coordinating everything.

Global Grant: Peter Brown explained that the Rotary Foundation provided $20,000, the District provided $25,000 and the Club provided $5,000 for the water supply project in Kenya. The project started in October 2023 and is ongoing.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: Thenext meeting for the backpack project will be on 5/15 at 1:30 pm.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer contacted Jeff Simon to set up another meeting with his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction and to identify the new site.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Donation Jar: Donations from the jar will go to the Haiti eye clinic this year.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

New Member Orientation. Laurie Pfeff attended the last orientation.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 8 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Mark Yukiw will speak on “the Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine.”

Entry Choices to be determined.

Terry Brewer and Carole Heaney, co-chairs of membership, provided a program on what Rotary is and Rotarians are. Per Terry, Rotary was founded 117 years ago. The organization is structured as International, National, District and local clubs. Worldwide there are 33,000 clubs with 1.4 million Rotarians located in 200 countries. Rotary’s mission is to “serve others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace.” Projects include fresh water, health (Polio eradication and Gift of Life) and disaster relief (Shelter Box) initiatives. Our Rotary District, 7180 CNY (Central New York) District) has 113 clubs with 28,000 members.

The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club was started in 1960. Since inception, this Club has donated over $1,000,000. Various members said that they joined Rotary to have the ability to become engaged and energized and to have the opportunity to give back to the community. Also, through the Club they made friendships and professional connections. They were able to learn leadership skills and participate in international service. Through our “focus on peace, equity and humanity” and service. We, as Rotarians, make positive changes and a real difference. Carole asked, “Are you a person who could become a Rotarian?” “Join Rotary and Change the World!”

Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Carol Heaney, Andy Lehayne and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (2): Denise Di Noto and Laura.

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Benefit Concert: The concert is this Saturday at 7 pm at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. The concert is co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club. Proceeds will go to the St. Paul Center. Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, both she and the Club received reimbursement for the banner.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 100 additional meters to increase the water flow. They are waiting for the results of the pump test.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The meeting for the backpack project was on 4/22 at 1:30 pm. Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin attended. Proceeds from the Fun Run will rejuvenate and stabilize the existing backpack program. Rotary needs to set up an account to received donated funds and to pay the food pantry and other sources food is purchased from.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Retirement: Jeff Simon’s retirement party is June 26th.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

Guilderland-Colonie Rotary Club: Denise DiNoto was District Governor in 23-24. Currently, she is President of the Guilderland Colonie Rotary Club. They have 20 members. They are hosting their 20th annual Golf Outing at Mill Road Acres in Latham on June 20th. It is $110 for golf and lunch. They are also holding a Bed Build on June 7 from 9 am until done. They will build beds and provide the linens, spreads and pillows for donation with a bed. The Bed Build will take place at the Grasslands on Route 7 in Latham. For more information about the Club, go to cgrotary.org.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

Youth Exchange Webinar – Hosting 101, Click here to get the zoom link.

ShelterBox Update, Click here for more details and to register for the zoom link.

Positive Peace in a Polarized World,  Click here to get details and the zoom link.

Global Grants Seminar, Click here for details and to get the zoom link.

Epic Day of Service,Click here for more information and some project inspiration.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 1 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. This is membership meeting.

Entry Choices are Chicken Ceaser Salid, Penne Pesto and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Laurie Pferr, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer, Jeff Brewer, Chris Bystroff and Carol Heaney.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (0):

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, he sent thank you notes to donors. The Sponsor page on the website has been updated.

Benefit Concert: Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, reimbursement for the retractable banner was approved.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 200 additional meters to increase the water flow. Pump tests will go on.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm. So far, Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin are attending. Let Roberto know if you wish to attend. Per Peter we should determine what the schools need and where the money will be going.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Foundation Grants Management Training: Laurie Pferr attended the April 14th session.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Member Engagement: The book “The Baron of Second Avenue” written by Dean Calamaras is available on Amazon and select bookstores. This paperback book is most economically purchased on the author’s website: http://www.calamarasbooks.com for $34.95 plus $6.70 shipping.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7pm. Registration is required.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 24 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Sara Owens.

Entry Choices are Rustica Salad, Veal Parm and Baked Ziti.

Club Assembly on Membership

Membership is ongoing and is everyone’s responsibility. The annual membership meeting is scheduled for May 1st. Carol Heaney and Terry Brewer are working on it. Zoom will not be available for this meeting.

Carol and Terry offered tonight’s program to learn more about the SRC Club’s opportunities and challenges with membership. People are motivated to join because Rotary keeps people connected and engaged with the community. Rotary has evolved over time to become more humanitarian and inclusive. There is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Rotary keeps people engaged through charitable work while having fun. Rotary also provides people opportunities for growth in capabilities. People want to do good and give back to the community.

Challenges to membership include the existing Rotary structure which is time and cost prohibitive. Also, current members are aging out, experiencing changes in abilities and dying. In recruiting younger members, Rotary must take into account the differences in generational culture. In order to engage younger members and keep them engaged, we must decrease cost and balance time commitments. Membership is a continuous conversation. Invite a guest to dinner on May 1st.