Meeting clipboard: 12/5/19

December 7, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Held at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (14): Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Pat Bailey, Becky Raymond, Wells Packard, Ray Hannan, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Andy Leyhane.

Guests: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Phil Kellerman presided. He brought packages of fair trade coffees to sell as a fundraiser for ShelterBox, with $5 from the sale of each package going to the international aid agency. … Murray Forth, who with wife Maggie will be hosting our annual Holiday Party & Themed Baskets Silent Auction at 6 p.m. Thursday, December 19, gave an update on the event. He also encouraged members to bring gift baskets to be auctioned for charitable causes. (Some suggested themes have been posted on the website.) … Phil reminded members that the “spare change jar” proceeds this year will go to the Capital Region Nordic Alliance (CRNA), which provides adaptive sports activities for disabled vets.

Screen Shot 2019-11-22 at 6.00.46 PM … Debbie Rodriguez gave a brief update on the Adopt-a-Family holiday project. Many gifts were brought to the meeting. The deadline for giving Debbie the donated gifts — gift-wrapped and tagged with the recipients’ names — is next Thursday, December 12, in time for delivery to Circles of Mercy for distribution. PLEASE BE SURE to gift wrap each item and label it with the recipient’s name. … Becky Raymond gave an update on the Danes Rotaract’s plans to raise funds for the Freedom From Fistula Foundation (FFFF). The club’s goal is to help raise $750. She said the idea of a bowl-a-thon proposed by Terry Brewer would help toward this effort. Terry then proposed that the club host a dual-purpose bowl-a-thon to raise funds for FFFF and the Oley Foundation. He will speak to the bowling center management about a tentative March date. Phil said Oley has many members locally who most likely would participate, and Becky said the Rotaract students could participate as well. Attendees expressed their approval for the event and willingness to help out. … Next Thursday’s after-dinner speaker will be Jodi Sullivan, Maple Hill High School assistant principal.

PROGRAM: SRC Fundraising

Rotary Cash Phil led a discussion on current fundraising efforts by the club, and the development of future fundraisers to support our community service projects. Some outcomes:

• Murray said another recycling/shredding event will be organized for mid-April 2020.

• Terry said he is uncomfortable with the fact that some members donate so much of their personal money to support the club’s charitable activities. He thought the club should be distributing some funds from the current treasury balance. As an example, he suggested giving $500 to Circles of Mercy to enable the family aid organization to purchase hygiene kits for those in need. Debbie Brown made a motion to do so, Ray Hannan seconded it, and it was approved overwhelmingly.

• This led to a discussion about the amount of funds in the club’s treasury. Phil agreed the club should distribute some additional money to charitable causes, but that the club needs to consider investing some of the remaining balance to earn interest that can support grants while protecting the principal. The club’s Financial Committee will follow up.

• Since two past Cafe Capricio fundraiser dinners were financially successful through sales of raffle tickets, Andy Leyhane agreed to follow up with the Albany restaurant about setting up another such event.

• It was mentioned that resuming the “Rotary Home Cooking” series of member-hosted dinner parties or other social events could be helpful in raising funds and promoting social interaction.

How are we doing with our Clynk project?

December 5, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-12-05 at 12.54.47 AM

Screen Shot 2017-10-03 at 4.05.45 PM — **ShelterBox to the rescue.**

At just a nickel or so per container, it takes what seems a loooong while to accumulate sizeable dollar amounts for our ongoing ShelterBox financial support project. But, that doesn’t mean we’re not making progress. We are, slowly but steadily.

SRC already has raised more than $400 from collecting reclaimed deposits on glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers this year, plus $2,050 in member-and-friend pledges collected by our ShelterBox coordinator, Bill Dowd. And, for every package of free market coffee sold by Phil Kellerman during the holidays, we get another $5.

Pennies make dollars, and the citizens of the world who are victims of natural and man-made disasters such as floods, earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, civil war, and the like are helped by SRC’s support of ShelterBox’s international aid efforts.

If you can help with any dollar amount small or large, please let Bill known ASAP. And, thank you all for your generosity and humanity. Each cumulative $1,000 we raise pays for one ShelterBox that contains a tent housing up to 10 people — sometimes for several years each, water purification items, emergency tools, cooking equipment, first-aid kits, sleeping bags or cots, and other basic life-sustaining items.

For more information about ShelterBox, click here and be inspired.

Let’s be creative (and bring your gifts, too)

December 2, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-11-22 at 6.00.46 PM With the lengthy snowfall forecast to end sometime tonight, you’ll have plenty of time to shovel out and show up for this Thursday’s 6:15 p.m. dinner meeting at Quigley’s.

It should be a stimulating Club Assembly meeting, with President Phil Kellerman soliciting ideas and fostering discussion for fundraising activities in support of our many community service initiatives.

The menu calls for Quigley’s popular roast pork with chef’s choice of side dishes, antipasto salad, bread, desserts, and beverages, plus the usual cash bar opportunities.

Please remember to bring your wrapped, labeled gifts for our Adopt-a-Family drive being coordinated by Debbie Rodriguez. And, if you haven’t RSVP’d for dinner, please email Debbie at debannrod@yahoo.com no later than Tuesday evening.

Below is the updated gift chart for the family we are adopting. Remember, we would like to fill the “needs” wish list before beginning to duplicate any other categories. Several people have been pledging items already spoken for (in yellow on the chart) or items not on the wish list.

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Today’s ‘Adopt-a-Family’ project update

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-11-26 at 7.58.25 PM Here is where we stand as of 8 p.m. today (Tuesday) in our annual project to make Christmas for one local family a happy one.

We’re off to a solid start for our annual “Adopt-a-Family” holiday effort in partnership with Circles of Mercy. However, we’re on a short turnaround time and still need help to meet the December 16 drop-off deadline.

The chart above — which we are updating on a daily basis — shows the Hazzard family’s wish list, with items marked in yellow denoting what has been pledged so far. Please note that we’d like to first get all the “Need to have” items accounted for before we begin duplicating anything like clothes, etc.

If you’d like to help make the family’s Christmas morning brighter than it otherwise would be, just email project coordinator Debbie Rodriguez at debannrod@yahoo.com (copy to Bill Dowd, please, at BillDowd4Troy@gmail.com) as soon as you can. She will gather all the donated gifts for delivery.

PLEASE REMEMBER, all gifts must be gift-wrapped and labeled with the recipient’s name.

Thank you for your generosity

P.S. If you’d like to contribute in another way, Circles of Mercy also is in need of personal hygiene kits to distribute to some of its clients. Here is what goes into such kits:

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Here’s the wish list for our Adopt-a-Family drive

November 22, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-11-22 at 6.00.46 PM As we head into the holiday season, we plan to mix some giving into the equation as once again we help people less fortunate than we. It’s our annual participation in Circles of Mercy’s Adopt-a-Family holiday project.

This year we have one family, consisting of a mom and dad (ages 45 and 44), a teen daughter (17), a young son (4), and a baby girl on the way. Their “wish list” is modest, mostly clothing and personal items, but with a small smattering of other practical items.

The deadline for delivering donated gifts to Circles of Mercy is Monday, December 16, so we’re on a tight schedule.

Debbie Rodriguez is serving as project coordinator this year. We need your involvement, but we would appreciate it if you would contact Debbie BEFORE you do any shopping to let her know what you would like to provide. That coordination will help us be sure we cover the list without duplications or omissions. (Of course, duplicating clothing items never is a bad thing, but we need the communication nevertheless).

Here is the wish list. Please remember, all gifts (1) need to be gift wrapped, (2) must be labeled with the recipient’s names, (3) and need to be delivered to Debbie in time for her to coordinate her dropoff at Circles of Mercy by the deadline.

Thank you in advance for your generosity in the true spirit of Rotary and of the season.

Hazzard Family Wish List

Looking for Holiday Basket theme ideas?

November 22, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

How’s your planning going for a themed basket for our annual Holiday Party & Basket Silent Auction?

If you’re racking (or wracking, as it sometimes is spelled) your brain for ideas, we have a few below that may help.

Keep in mind that the word “basket” is used loosely when it comes to our silent auction entries. Over the years, we have seen people use buckets, planters, wire baskets, vases, flower pots, colanders, and all other manner of receptacles.

The more imaginative you are, the more guests at our December 19 Holiday Party will bid, and the more we’ll be able to add to our treasury in support of our many community service initiatives.

**We call this one “Crunch Time.” Anything with “crunch” in the name tucked in a basket.**

**This “Pamper Pan” holds a collection of personal bath and grooming items.**

**The “Bloody Mary Basket” title says it all.**

Meeting Clipboard: 11/21/19

November 22, 2019December 6, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Held at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (12): Phil Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Ray Hannan, Terry Brewer, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane.

Guests (5): Speaker Al Mackey, Oley Foundation Director Joan Bishop, 2 dietitians from Ellis Hospital, Spinney resident Bob Howe.

MEETING NOTES: Phil Kellerman presided, greeting members and guests. … Members will share and discuss fundraising ideas at a Club Assembly scheduled for Thursday, December 5. … Reminders that (1) Phil will be selling free market coffees for the holidays, with $5 from the sale of each bag going into the club’s ShelterBox effort; (2) a supply of bags and tags is available at each dinner meeting for member participation in our ongoing Clynk container recycling effort for ShelterBox; (3) Members are urged to work on themed gift baskets for the silent auction that will be part of our annual Holiday Party, to be hosted by Maggie and Murray Forth at their residence on Thursday, December 19. … No meeting next week due to Thanksgiving Day.

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PROGRAM: “Hiking for Oley”

Our guest speaker was Al Mackay, 61, who in the 1990s received aggressive treatment for cancer and ended up with a feeding tube because of difficulty of swelling. After finding the Oley Foundation on the Internet, he became a client.

Al, an experienced hiker, wanted to make a fundraising hike from June 17 to July 19 for Oley by traversing the Long Trail in Vermont, part of which is on the Appalachian Trail. He eventually made it from the Massachusetts line north to the Canadian border, a 272-mile hike while carrying a backpack that weighed more than 30 pounds.

Al had to overcome many adversities, including knee problems at Mile 36, rain, mud, fog, cliffs, and the steep trails that in some parts required ladders. His mantra: “Limitation is a state of mind.”

You can read more details of Al’s feat by clicking here to access the Oley Foundation newsletter.

Inspiration on the menu for Thursday’s meeting

November 18, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-11-18 at 10.18.19 PM — **Al Mackay, hiker extraordinaire.**

If you’re in need of some inspiration, our speaker at the Thursday dinner meeting at Quigley’s probably is just the thing.

The program is “The Intrepid Al Mackay: A Life of Endurance,” and the titular gentleman, age 62, will talk about how, despite being on a feeding tube and overcoming some injuries, he hiked 272 miles on Vermont’s Long Trail to raise funds for the Oley Foundation, which works with home intravenous nutrition and tube feeding through education, advocacy, and networking.

Prior to this presentation, we’ll share a dinner featuring sliced ham, chef’s choice of side dishes, antipasto salad, bread, dessert, and beverages. As always, the cash bar will be open before, during, and after dinner.

If you have not yet signed up, please be sure to email Debbie RODRIGUEZ — not Debbie Brown — no later than Tuesday evening at debannrod@yahoo.com. Here’s who has made reservations so far:

Pat Bailey
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Phil Kellerman
Jim Leyhane
Kevin Leyhane
Wells Packard
Debbie Rodriguez

Meeting Clipboard: 11/14/19

November 16, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Held at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (16): Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer, Pat Bailey, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Wells Packard, Debbie Rodriguez, A.J. Amato, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Dick Drumm.

Guests (1): Dan Caurabia.

MEETING NOTES: President Phil welcomed members and our guest speaker. … Terry Brewer reported that District 7190 has approved $35,000 to support membership recruitment and retention efforts, $15,000 of which will pay an individual to head up the effort. The District membership is reaching a point at which RI may reconfigure the region and merge 7190 into another district. …

Bill Dowd updated plans for the club’s 60th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, scheduled at the Comfort Inn & Suites for March 5, 2020. He said he has reserved the Berkshire Ballroom there, and hired a caterer, getting the two largest items out of the way. He noted that he has sent an email to all members as a “save the date” request in which he also invited input from everyone on things they would like to have considered as part of the event. … Phil reiterated that he will be selling fair trade coffee specialties during the holidays as a ShelterBox fundraising effort, and that the ongoing Clynk container redemption and recycling program overseen by Bill Dowd also is a ShelterBox fundraiser. …

Screen Shot 2019-11-16 at 3.50.33 PM — **A ‘basket’ idea**

A reminder that our annual Holiday Party & Themed Basket Silent Auction will be hosted by Murray and Maggie Forth at their residence on Thursday, December 19. Ideas for themed baskets are being put on the club website periodically. (See item at right.) … Anyone scheduled to secure a program for January is asked to get that information to program coordinator Dick Drumm ASAP so we can get it on the calendar. Still not sure what date you have? Just check the chart at the bottom of the website calendar page. … The speaker next week is a man who, despite being on a feeding tube, hiked 270 miles on Vermont’s Long Trail to raise funds for the Oley Foundation. .

PROGRAM: “The Norman Rockwell Museum”

A.J. Amato introduced guest speaker Dan Caurabia, a guide at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA.

Dan is a wealth of information about the iconic American painter and illustrator who used, as he put it, “commonplace people for commonplace themes”; i.e., friends, family, acquaintances and the like as models for his works that have become American icons.

In addition to providing a look at the early life and artistic training of Rockwell, Dan explained the changes in color, technique, and subject matter over Rockwell’s years of painting that ranged from his early teen years until the end of his life in 1978 at the age of 84.

Dan also shared photographs and anecdotes about some of the people who modeled for Rockwell and Dan’s experiences meeting many of them when they made a pilgrimage to Stockbridge to visit the museum. He also invited SRC members to visit the facility on Fridays when he conducts tours.

Information on the Norman Rockwell Museum, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, is available online.

Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club

News of this New York State club that practices "Service Above Self"

Meeting clipboard: 12/5/19

How are we doing with our Clynk project?

Let’s be creative (and bring your gifts, too)

Today’s ‘Adopt-a-Family’ project update

Here’s the wish list for our Adopt-a-Family drive

Looking for Holiday Basket theme ideas?

Meeting Clipboard: 11/21/19

Inspiration on the menu for Thursday’s meeting

Meeting Clipboard: 11/14/19