Uganda Update

We have long supported the educational, medical and child welfare charity AOET Uganda. One of our members, Paul Phillips, has spent his retirement building support for AOET in the Saratoga area, through his Presbyterian United Church of Christ in Saratoga Springs, and other means such as this Facebook page. Another of our Rotary club members, Barbara Conner, went on two mission trips to Uganda with Paul and other local supporters.

Our new president, Murray Eitzmann, wrote to members after last week's meeting:

"I want to give you a brief update on the Uganda Health Clinic computer and Starlink project that we discussed at yesterday's meeting.

"Since Thursday we have been moving the project forward. I sent detailed recommendations on equipment specifications and estimated costs to Paul [Phillips] and Brian [Farrell], who are leading this effort. We are now asking for their feedback on those specs and have requested that our partners on the Uganda side obtain current local quotes for both the desktop computer and the Starlink terminal. Once we have that information, we will be in a much better position to finalize a clear fundraising target and bring a specific proposal back to the club.

"This project is important in its own right — it will give the clinic reliable computing power and internet access. At the same time, it is also helping us prepare for larger opportunities. Next year we plan to pursue a Rotary District or Global Grant to expand support for health clinics in Uganda. By managing this contribution carefully and documenting it well, we are already aligning our work with Rotary’s Areas of Focus (especially Disease Prevention and Treatment and Maternal & Child Health) and building the practical experience and partnership record that strengthen a future grant application."

Paul noted in reply that Dr. Manny Cirenza, who recently spoke to our club about his work with AOET, "left for Uganda today and will meet with the President of the local Rotary Club next week, attempting to get them to agree to partner on our Rotary Grant application, which should increase our likelihood of getting funding."

 

Murray Eitzmann To Be Rotary President

 

Left to right: Jim Frey, Lisa Elam, Paul Phillips, Murray Eitzmann, Rick Handley, Dwight Havens and Barbara Conner were some of the local Rotary leaders gathering at Larry Levine's house on the south shore of Saratoga Lake Thursday (June 25), to mark the changeover on July 1 to a new Rotary year. That means Dwight's presidency of Malta Sunrise Rotary is coming to an end, with Murray taking over as president and Lisa as president-elect. (Lisa, who chairs our scholarship committee, recently returned from Rotary International's annual convention, held this year in Taiwan.)

Abner Doubleday

Ballston Spa native Abner Doubleday was the subject of Robert C. Conner's talk on Thursday. Doubleday moved away to Auburn as an infant and later went from there to Cooperstown. But his 28 Washington Street birthplace, with a historical marker out front, still stands on the west side of downtown Ballston Spa.

Best known for his now disputed contributions to the development of baseball, Doubleday's most solid claim to fame is his Civil War service. As a captain in 1861 and second-in-command at Fort Sumter, he passed on the order to fire the first Union shots of the war, responding to a Confederate artillery barrage.

Promoted to general in 1862, in August and September of that year he fought at the battles of Second Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam.

After General John Reynolds was killed on the morning of July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, Doubleday took command of the First Corps for most of the day, during which time it was heavily engaged in combat. He reverted to command of his division for the second and third days of the battle.

Robert C. (Bob) Conner is a former journalist, current Rotarian and author. His first three books -- two biographies and a novel -- were focused on the Civil War. His fourth book, published earlier this year, is a historical novel set in 1975 called The Detective and Dorothy Day.

Helping Education Programs in Schenectady

Gretchen Belanger, executive director of Rise High, was our speaker last week. Rise High is a program started in 2018 in Schenectady County that is designed to expose "under-resourced youth" to learning opportunities and potential careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). 

Gretchen herself is a mechanical engineer with extensive experience at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Niskayuna and in the private sector. A Ballston Spa resident with three grown children, she has also volunteered for City Mission of Schenectady, Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child, and the Schenectady Rotary Club.

Rise High students are mostly from the city of Schenectady, but meet on Saturday mornings on the Mohonasen campus in Rotterdam. They do not pay anything for the program or transport. Rise High is mostly privately funded by businesses and foundations, along with a grant from Schenectady County rising to $10,000 this year. It is reliant on fund-raising and volunteers.

She also told us about the upcoming Cornhole for a Cause event of Schenectady Rotary, benefiting educational initiatives at the Keane Elementary School in the city. It will he held on Sunday July 12 at Rivers Casino & Resort.

School Vote Coming Up

 On Tuesday, May 19, voters from Malta who are also in the Ballston Spa School District can vote at Town Hall on whether to approve the proposed 2026-27 budget. Schools Superintendent Gianleo Duca and Board of Education President Jason Fernau spoke at our meeting on Thursday. Also attending were two staff members and a student who are active in the district's Rotary Interact Club.

Duca and Cynthia Young, Rotary treasurer and town supervisor, at the meeting:

  

Report from Uganda

Our speaker Thursday was Dr. Emanuel "Manny" Cirenza, who recently returned from an AOET medical mission trip to Uganda, and plans to return in July.

Saratoga County people have supported AOET's educational, job training, housing, feeding, medical and child-support programs in the Bugembe (near Jinja) and Lira areas of Uganda for many years, to a large extent due to the efforts of Paul and Jean Phillips. Paul, who is a member of our Rotary club, has been dealing with some recent health challenges. He attended Thursday's meeting with his daughter Beth. "Paul is my hero," said Manny.

The Saratoga-based teams led now by Manny also cooperate with the Schenectady-based Mooncatcher Project to provide reusable feminine hygiene products for girls (which help keep them in school).

Recent cuts in US aid have been damaging, but funding from the Ugandan government and AOET donors have kept operations going. Our Rotary club and individual members are among those donors. Barbara Conner, who has been on two AOET trips to Bugembe with Paul, said her First Presbyterian Church of Ballston Spa recently decided to contribute. Manny said AOET is a Christian faith-based organization.

He appealed for donations, noting that one useful non-monetary contribution is baby and infant clothes which are given away to mothers who want them at medical clinics, providing an incentive to bring their children there.

Firehouse Project

Dwight Havens, right, current Malta Sunrise Rotary Club president and former president of the Fire Companies of Malta, filled in club members last week on a planned half-million-dollar building project at the firehouse on Hemphill Place in downtown Malta, east of Northway Exit 12. FCOM is a joint operation of the Malta Ridge and Round Lake fire departments, situated in-between their respective firehouses near Exits 13 and 11.

The project will turn FCOM's mezzanine into a proper second floor, as previously planned, enabling firefighters to bunk upstairs and providing for potential future growth in operations.

The previous week, Steve Haydon talked about invasive plant species.