School Boards Association

Caroline Bobick, deputy director of governmental and external relations for the New York State School Boards Association, was our speaker on Thursday.

She said NYSSBA will be focused on potential changes in the Foundation Aid formula coming up for review in the Legislature. Among local concerns, she said, are what are widely seen as unrealistic state mandates regarding the conversion of school bus fleets from gasoline to electric power. 

NYSSBA is also concerned about issues relating to student mental health, such as phone use restrictions and shortage of counselors. 

Caroline and her husband David live in Luther Forest in Malta with their two young children. She has taught and done volunteer work in Turkey, Honduras and Nicaragua, and has been involved with the International Center of the Capital Region.

The previous week, we had an excellent holiday dinner at Buona Sera restaurant on Route 9P in Malta. We will take a break this week, and meet next on Jan. 2 back at The Ugly Rooster. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

 

Mindfulness and Meditation

 

Nicholas Cassius Clay, at rear on left, prepares to speak at our meeting last Thursday. 

A coach and advocate of mindfulness and brain-heart coherence, he talked about "nonjudgmental awareness" and "the challenge of being present." Meditation exercises can start the mind-body connection, he said, and "the bridge is courage."

Clay is a past president of the Schenectady Rotary Club.

No meeting tomorrow, Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving.

Business, Food, Books, Water

 

At our business meeting Thursday, President Chris Havens discussed the possibility of continuing to aid the area in Lesotho served by Qholaqhoe Mountain Connections, which is winding down its operations. QMC's Linda Gorham told Chris in a Nov. 6 email that "there is definitely a need for donations for the food/hunger crisis in the area", which has been stricken by drought. Linda suggested that donations for that purpose could be arranged via wire transfer to St. Charles High School in the QMC area, and club members agreed to pursuing this option.

Members also agreed with Chris's suggestion that we undertake a food drive next February or March to benefit the food pantry at the Malta Community Center. 

Later Thursday, our member Bob Conner spoke about Juneteenth to the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, and sold and signed copies of his books with all proceeds (about $140) donated to the club's planned water project in Kenya.

Bob was invited to the Rensselaer County meeting by Phil Kellerman, who spoke to our club last month.

From Community Center to Community

 Kristan Gottmann, Malta's director of Parks,
 Recreation and Human Services, was our speaker last Thursday. She focused mainly on the last-listed part of her duties, centered on the food pantry at the David Meager Malta Community Center. It is supported by organizations including the Town of Malta/GlobalFoundries Foundation, Price Chopper, Stewart's, Saratoga Casino, Pitney Meadows, the US Postal Service, and other donors including the public.

There has been a "huge increase" in demand in recent years, she said. In addition to food, the "human services" include Thanksgiving bags, the holiday Christmas tree program for children, and winter clothing. The human services operate year round, when necessary making referrals to other services and agencies.

Kristan also talked about the many recreation, sports, arts, education and other opportunities available through her department at the Community Center and in the parks of Malta.  

   

"It's a lovely place. We're lucky," she said.

Pancakes and (nonpartisan) politics

The pancakes and fixings (sausages, eggs, juice, coffee) will be served for breakfast this Sunday Oct. 27 at the Malta Ridge Fire House, Hearn Road and Route 9. It's our first fund-raiser in a while. Prices are still $7 for adults and teens, $3 for kids aged 6-12, and free for those under 6. Be there or be square.

On Thursday, our speaker was club member and state Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (in yellow jacket at end of table). She took questions about energy mandates (she's skeptical) and GlobalFoundries (the structure of a new tax deal would be up to the Saratoga County IDA). She said improving health care is her top priority, noting that the quality of dental care is an indicator of longevity; and said Medicaid reimbursement rates are too low. 

"We need much better public transit up here," she said, which would, for example, provide a way for employees of Malta hotels to get to work. 
 

Immigration Talk, then Road Cleanup

 

Some of our cleanup crew (minus Brian Farrell, who took the photo) on Dunning Street after last Thursday's meeting. They are, left to right, Chris Havens, Donna Kripfgans-Rawlin, Miles Cornthwaite, Murray Eitzmann and Steve Haydon.

At the meeting, Phil Kellerman spoke about immigration. He has been an advocate for migrant farmworkers and other immigrants for over 35 years. He established the Harvest of Hope Foundation which raised and distributed more than $1.1 million in emergency and educational financial aid to migrant farmworkers. Prior to retirement his last employment was with the Oley Foundation under Albany Medical Center, helping children and adults in need of tube feeding supplies due to serious intestinal problems, oral cancer, stroke or ALS.  He continues to collect tube feeding supplies to send to California to be shipped to the Philippines. In addition, Kellerman helped to establish the Foundation for Language Education and Development (LEAD) which provides financial aid to immigrant students to attend college.

Kellerman. a member of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, 

said he became involved in the case of Delphine Sosu, an immigrant from Ghana who aspires to become a professional soccer player. Her education was disrupted when the College of Saint Rose in Albany closed, but she now attends Newman University in Kansas.

He said immigrants pay many fees to the government and other expenses, which can make it hard to live here. Among the most urgent fixes to current law he recommended is regularizing the legal status of "dreamers", longstanding US residents who were brought here illegally as children. 

Business from Glenville to Uganda, Glens Falls and Saratoga County

 

Ugandan crafts on display at this year's Glenville Oktoberfest. We participated in "Rotary Row" under the sponsorship of the Malta Sunrise Rotary club and sold $800 worth of crafts, which will be sent to AOET Uganda to assist them in educating children who are living in poverty.

At Thursday's business meeting we voted to give $200 (in addition to any individual contributions) to Wait House in Glens Falls.

Upcoming fund-raisers are an Oct. 27 pancake breakfast at the Malta Ridge Fire House; and a pre-Christmas sale of pies from Smith's Orchard & Bake Shop, which are baked at a farm on Jockey Street in western Saratoga County.