Captain, Our Captain

Here's Sue Catroppa, executive director of CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services, speaking at our meeting on Thursday. As Barb Conner says on our Facebook page: "Much of their work is done by volunteers, and they could always use YOUR help."
Update: Sue's talk was sobering, helping us realize the urgent needs and problems affecting many young people in Saratoga County. While this is often thought of as a prosperous area, there is a lot of poverty here.

More information can be found at  https://captaincares.org/. CAPTAIN's volunteer needs include: Homework helpers
Pantry van drivers
Pantry assistants
Groundskeeping and meal preparation at youth shelter (which is in Malta)
Family development mentors
Office assistants
Floor workers and cashiers at CAPTAIN’s Treasures thrift store
Fund-raising
CAPTAIN also posts a wish list of needed items on their website. See: https://captaincares.org/index.php/get-involved/captain-wish-list
Barb says: "Please consider what YOU might be able to do to help children and families in need in Saratoga County. Thank you!"

At the YMCA

Well actually, we were at the Malta Diner as usual on Thursday, and the YMCA folks came there. That's Saratoga Regional YMCA CEO Sean Andrews at top, who was our speaker, and below are Paul Loomis, one of their board members and a Malta resident, and Amanda Brandeburg, a member of our Rotary club and director of the Y's Malta branch.
Andrews said the Malta branch, one of five in the regional organization, has been "a tremendous success." He said the Y doesn't turn away anyone due to inability to pay (they have "scholarships" to assist), and mentioned worthy programs such as Livestrong for cancer survivors.

Here Comes the Sun

Our speaker at Thursday's meeting was Kimberly Brown, community events manager for the PosiGen solar energy company. She is from Louisiana, where PosiGen is based, and is spending her first winter in upstate New York. PosiGen, she said, makes a special effort to provide solar panels to low- and moderate-income homeowners in a grid-based system, and works with the state agency NYSERDA. It also does energy audits for customers, she said, helping them save money. Eventually, the company wants to make its own solar panels.


In other business, club members discussed scheduling and organizing events for the spring, and possible changes to the scholarship program we offer to local high school graduates.

First Meeting of the Year

Here's Justice Williams, a junior majoring in industrial engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, speaking at our meeting on Thursday about the seven weeks he spent on a school project in an informal settlement near Cape Town, South Africa. Our club helped fund his trip.

Member Bob Holbrook reported that $273 (I think) was raised in the New Year's Day bowling tourney to aid Rotary International's anti-polio campaign. Al Schmidt said club members have contributed $2001 to Rotary International so far during this fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). And Barbara Conner pointed out that RI gets high marks from Charity Navigator.

Closer to home, it was established that we'll be working on a Rebuild Saratoga project on April 23. And Tom Disinger reported on items needed for Code Blue Saratoga, to help the homeless.

A new year, a new Web site -- though still a work in progress

Our board meeting (which all club members are welcome to attend) will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at 7:15 a.m. in the Malta Diner. The regular club business meeting will be Thursday at 7:15.