African Focus

 

Local pediatrician Dr. Emanuel "Manny" Cirenza is shown on a medical mission to Uganda, where he has gone several times with AOET, which our club helps support.

Cirenza was the speaker at this morning's meeting. He talked about the challenges of tackling HIV, TB, malaria, diarrhea and other serious conditions in a country where per-capita income is only $1,800 per year. The challenges include decreasing US goverment aid, and the poverty of the students in the AOET schools -- who nonetheless perform very well in tests.

In discussion, our member Mike Williams and his son Justice talked about their experiences in Africa, and our club's current fund-raising for AOET and QMC in Lesotho. Estelle Genest said she has noticed distinct improvement in the English writing of a QMC student with whom she has been corresponding.

Joints, Africa, Santa

 

Last week's speaker was Dr. David Quinn from The Bone & Joint Center, who told us about their new facility on the Saratoga Hospital campus off Route 67, west of Northway Exit 12 in Malta. 

At this morning's meeting, we took care of some business regarding the two African projects which we have helped support in recent years. We voted a baseline amount of support, which will be supplemented by some members' individual contributions. The total amount will be reported soon on this blog.

In other business, Santa Claus stopped by to lead a holiday singalong.

Gift of Life Via Malta Sunrise Rotary to Ugandan Boy

 

A story in today's Albany Times Union is headlined "Toddler in Uganda gets life-saving surgery with help from Malta man". (It is published online today, December 3, and will probably appear in print over the weekend.) The story concerns this boy, Mark Kasajja, who is now recovering well after operations on November 25 at the Uganda Heart Institute. The treatments were paid for by Gift of Life International, which has long been associated with Rotary and to which our club has made modest donations over the years. We have also helped support through AOET a school in Uganda where Mark's father works.

At a meeting of Malta Sunrise Rotary last March, the Zoom speaker was Rob Raylman, CEO of Gift of Life. In attendance was our member Paul Phillips (the aforementioned "Malta man"), who for 18 years has led local efforts to support AOET in Uganda. Paul brought up with Rob the plight of Mark Kasajja, then aged two-and-a-half. They followed up later to good effect.

Coincidentally, the Times Union reporter, Wendy Liberatore, spoke to our club in 2019.

Polio and Thanksgiving

 Rotarian and polio survivor John Nanni was our Zoom speaker last week. Despite the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, he said, Rotary's efforts to eliminate the disease there and everywhere continue. Our club with others throughout the world joins the funding effort to accomplish the great goal. (Our Foundation chair Barbara Conner accepts donations for this purpose.)

No meeting this week. Happy Thanksgiving.

Toys and the Navy

In memory of our late President Tom Disinger, a group of us helped out at Capital Region Toys for Tots on Sunday, at their warehouse in Clifton Park. (They will be needing more volunteers this month and next.) Pictured are Cheryl and Bob Bonney, Bob Conner, Steve Ames, Estelle Genest, Doug Ford (from the Ballston Spa club), Dave and Pat Kruczlnicki. Behind the camera was Barbara Conner, and somehow avoiding the spotlight were Miles Cornthwaite and Tom Genest.

Toys for Tots is affiliated with the U.S. Marine Corps, which is affiliated with the U.S. Navy, in which 

our own Paul Phillips served in the 1960s, about which he told good stories as the speaker at today's meeting. He also recited from memory W.S. Gilbert's tribute to the very model of a modern major-general.

 

UPDATE, Oct. 31 fire house breakfast cancelled/postponed

 

Jere Blackwelder, president of the board of Saratoga History Center at Brookside Museum, was today's speaker.

Brookside, which anchors Front Street at the west end of downtown Ballston Spa, is a 1792 structure originally built as a hotel. It ran into financial difficulties and almost closed a few years ago, and just when it was digging itself out ran into the coronavirus pandemic.

Brookside has dug itself out again, Blackwelder said, hosting over 2,000 visitors since it reopened at the end of June with expanded exhibit space and gardens. He urged everyone to drop by and join up. One of the books for sale in the museum store is a new one, "Saratoga County Stories," by various local historians (including Malta's Paul Perreault), proceeds of which benefit Brookside. 

UPDATE OCT. 30: Unfortunately, a Covid exposure has caused the cancellation/postponement of our Halloween breakfast that was scheduled for Sunday Oct. 31 at the Round Lake Fire House. Tickets already purchased may be reused for the rescheduled event at a date to be determined, or refunds will be available tomorrow morning (Oct. 31) at the fire house.

Ambulance Vote

Scott Skinner from Malta-Stillwater Emergency Medical Services was our speaker on Thursday. He advocated passage of and provided information about the proposition to create an ambulance district in Malta. 

The issue will be decided by town voters in the upcoming election. Early voting has started already at various locations in Saratoga County, and Election Day is November 2. (Check out the back of the ballot on the bottom right.)

We also discussed plans for our Halloween all-you-can-eat scrambled egg, sausage and pancake breakfast on October 31 at the Round Lake Fire House.

We made plans to help out Toys for Tots on November 7 at their Clifton Park warehouse.

 And we got a report on last weekend's Dunning Street cleanup.

 

The Guv

 

Rotary District 7190 Governor Bruce McConnelee spoke to the club on Thursday, accompanied by his wife Lorraine. He talked about efforts to bolster membership, including restarting Rotary in Troy, a club focused on veterans begun by Glenville Rotary, and another new club, Heartbeat online, which is affiliated with Niskayuna. He reminded us about an Oct. 29 meeting in Liverpool, near Syracuse, for World Polio Day, and the Nov. 18 Rotary Foundation dinner at Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia. And he told a 1980s story about when he was a new Rotary member in Scotia, and helped put a Whipple bridge over Collins Creek.

Also Thursday, our member Bob Conner started his sixth year on a club Rotary project, working with the Shenendehowa School District on the Bountiful Backpacks program, delivering food to Chango Elementary in Malta.

         

                                                                                               

Balet Farm and Business

 

Suzanne Balet Haight was our speaker on Thursday, and told us about her family's small farm and business in the northeastern corner of Malta. Balet Flowers & Design is on Nelson Avenue Extension, not far south of the town's Kayaderosseras Creek border with Saratoga Springs. It is a family business founded by Balet's parents.

"We grow as organically as we can," she said, aiming to avoid using  herbicides or pesticides.

Our guests Mark and Rachel Oberreuter live in the same neck of the woods, on Malta Avenue Extension.

 

Educating

 

Rotarian Dave Kruczlnicki, left, and Stuart Williams, right, coordinator of community relations for the Ballston Spa School District, listen to district Superintendent Ken Slentz at our meeting this morning at The Ugly Rooster.

Slentz led a wide-ranging discussion about issues in this area and beyond, including what he said has been a successful "structured literacy" reading initiative in the district over the past three years. He said the much discussed "learning loss" due to Covid has been "overstated", because "we built in a ton of support" for students using federal aid. 

Slentz said some people still stigmatize BOCES programs, which he characterized as a prejudice "not based on reality" because many students get qualifications for good jobs there. But the superintendent also expressed concern about graduation rates as low as 23 percent in local community colleges.

Roostin' Back

 

Starting tomorrow, club meetings will resume at the former site of the Malta Diner, now The Ugly Rooster, at 7:15 on Thursday mornings. 

The speaker at tomorrow's meeting will be Ken Slentz, superintendent of the Ballston Spa School District.

Dunkin' and other business

 

Saturday September 11 was Malta Community Day at Shenantaha Creek Park, where our dunk tank was a hit. Thanks to all who participated.

At last Thursday's meeting, we heard from Larry Bailey, assistant district governor, and discussed membership issues.

Our member Paul Phillips told the meeting that a young Ugandan boy has been scheduled for hole-in-the-heart surgery as a result of a contact made at a Zoom meeting of the club last March with Gift of Life CEO Rob Raylman.

This week's speaker at the park (our temporary meeting place) will be Ballston Spa School District Superintendent Ken Slentz.

Thanks to Blood Donors

Club President Miles Cornthwaite, from left, Rotarians Barbara Conner and Mike Williams, and Anne Santino from the Red Cross were at Monday's blood drive in the Malta Community Center.

Mike organized our end of the drive, where other Rotarians working included Helen Endres, Bob Conner and Estelle Genest. The Red Cross workers took in a steady stream of pre-registered donors, including Mike and Barbara, for a successful event.

We have a couple of fund-raisers coming up. On Saturday September 11 we will participate in Malta Community Day at the Shenantaha Park, operating our dunking booth. Potential dunkee volunteers can contact Paul Sausville, Miles Cornthwaite or other Rotarians.

On October 31 we will have a pancake breakfast at the Round Lake fire house. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Stay tuned for more details.   
 

Good Dog

 

Steve Ames, a member of  Malta Sunrise Rotary, spoke today about his book "I Just Held the Leash", all royalties from which he is donating to the Rotary Foundation.

The book tells the story of Steve's Golden Retriever therapy dog Casey, and the work the two of them did in area schools, libraries, nursing homes, and institutions for the developmentally disabled from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Casey received the Gold Award from Therapy Dogs International, indicating 500 documented therapy dog visits.

Wherever Steve and Casey went, they brightened people's day. They were helped by friends including Steve's fellow Rotarians, who came in especially useful after he was no longer able to drive. 

"I Just Held the Leash" is a product of Kindle Direct Publishing, which is owned by Amazon. The book is available for purchase from Amazon.com.

Rising scholars and a departure

 

18-year-old Sean Flaherty, our $1,000 scholarship winner, was the speaker at Thursday's meeting. He graduated this year from Shenendehowa High School with a 98 GPA, was involved in several voluntary activities there, and pitched for the baseball team. Sean will be leaving in about a month to study nursing at the University of Connecticut. (Ava Durfee of Ballston Spa High School won our $500 scholarship this year.)

On Thursday afternoon about a dozen Rotarians (including Doug Ford from the Ballston Spa club) attended the funeral of Thomas Disinger at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Tom was a good friend to most of our club, a husband and father who was retired from the television industry, an Air Force veteran, and a committed volunteer to numerous causes including Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, Toys for Tots, the Helping Hands Food Pantry at Jonesville Methodist Church, and the American Red Cross (to which he gave blood). He was president of Malta Sunrise Rotary in 2018-19. May he rest in peace.

Blood Work

Anne Santino, seen right with Rotarian Paul Sausville, was our speaker last Thursday. She is senior account manager for blood collection in Saratoga and Washington counties for the American Red Cross.

Our club will be helping the Red Cross on its August 30 blood drive, from 1 to 6 pm at the Malta Community Center. You can make an appointment online to donate blood there through the American Red Cross website.  

Malta Sunrise Rotary has worked on these blood drives for many years, and Anne paid tribute to Paul's wife, former nurse and fellow Rotarian Nancy Sausville (below), who has been actively involved throughout.

In other business, we discussed potential use of our dunking booth at Malta Community Day on September 11, and a potential pancake breakfast at a fire house in the fall.

There will be no regular meeting this Thursday, July 1. Instead, we will meet for a changeover pot-luck at Larry Levine's house between 4:30 and 7 pm.

Rebuilding

 

Michelle Larkin, executive director of Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, was our speaker at last Thursday's meeting.

She spoke about how the nonprofit has grown since its founding in 2003. For the past four years it has been located at 132 Milton Ave. in Ballston Spa, where it operates a thrift store, ReShop for the Good. It has an upcoming project in Malta Gardens.

Our club has often worked with Rebuilding. Michelle mentioned that our former president, Tom Disinger (now seriously ill with cancer), is also a former volunteer of the year for her organization. 

The Graduate

Peris Tushabe, our speaker on Thursday, had planned to be in Uganda by now, but her summer project has been postponed for at least six weeks because of new restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic there -- where only a small proportion of the population has been vaccinated. She has lived in the United States since she was 13, and recently graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.

She hopes to start a theater project in northern Uganda to encourage girls to stay in school. The area was badly affected by civil warfare, and Peris hopes to address trauma and conflict resolution, along with period poverty and other issues.

New Slate

 Our board members for the year starting July 1 were elected at Thursday's meeting. The line-up is: President Miles Cornthwaite; President-elect Travis Fealy; Vice President Larry Levine; Treasurer Cynthia Young; Secretary Kristen Stanley; Finance Chair Steve Ames; Membership Chair Mike Williams; Foundation Chair Barbara Conner.

Back to the Park

Our May 6 meeting with Congressman Tonko went well. The larger-than-usual crowd, at Panera or on Zoom, included Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and four out of the five current members of the Malta Town Board.

This week, on Thursday May 20, our temporary location will move back to Shenantaha Creek Park, where you can find us at 7:15 a.m. -- or on Zoom.

Tonko to Talk

US Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, will be our speaker via Zoom on Thursday, May 6. Members and guests -- the public is invited -- will gather at Panera at 7:15 a.m., or can participate from anywhere with the Zoom link.

Tonko has represented Malta (part of his much larger district) in Congress since 2009. Before that, he headed the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which had a large presence in Malta and still owns facilities here. 

From 1983 to 2007, Tonko was a member of the New York State Assembly, and before that was on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. He has a degree from Clarkson University in mechanical and industrial engineering. 

The congressman is expected to discuss mostly local issues.

Meeting and Donating

 

Standing by the Panera restaurant window was Bob Bonney, our tech guru overseeing the Zoom connection from this morning's hybrid meeting.

 Several members participated via Zoom, as did speaker Elena Alvarez from the Schenectady Rotary Club. She and our president, Larry Levine, have been discussing a possible joint "disc golf" fund-raiser, and a committee of our members will look into it.

In other business, we voted to donate $200 to Gift of Life International, with which our Rotary district is closely associated. Gift of Life's CEO, Rob Raylman, was our Zoom speaker on March 25. A connection made at that meeting with Paul Phillips (seen this morning at center of photo below) has identified a Ugandan child with a serious heart problem who may be helped by the program.

Cleaning Up Ain't Hard to Do

 

We do a cleanup on Dunning Street (and a bit of Plains Road) twice a year, and this was Saturday's crew, left to right: Kristen Stanley, Miles Cornthwaite, Paul Phillips, Barbara Conner, Mike Williams, Travis Fealy, Larry Levine, Bob Conner. Mike's wife Jackie was behind the camera.

On Thursday, we had our first in-person meeting this year at Panera, east of Exit 12, with some Zoomers participating from home. We'll do it again this Thursday morning at 7:15.

Life, Work and other Gifts

Shown is a Rotary Gift of Life donation box for used clothing, shoes and textiles. It is on Farm to Market Road (Route 109) just northeast of the intersection with Route 9 in Saratoga County, a little south of the Town of Malta. (You can also send donations of money to Gift of Life, or otherwise get involved, through our Rotary District 7190.) 

Our Zoom speaker last Thursday was Rob Raylman, chief executive officer of Gift of Life International,  himself an active Rotarian in New York state who noted the organization's Rotarian roots. Gift of Life provides essential help to children with congenital heart defects and other heart health problems in more than 80 countries. Discussion after the presentation included one member getting contact information for a Ugandan program which our club has helped.   

In other business, we are planning to meet in person this Thursday morning at 7:15 at Panera, east of Exit 12. A Zoom link also should be available for those who will not be attending in person.

This Saturday, at 8:30 a.m., we will meet at Forest Cleaners for our semiannual Dunning Street cleanup. And we are tentatively scheduled to again assist the Red Cross with a blood drive at the end of August.

Last Saturday, three of our members, Mike Williams, Cynthia Young and Barbara Conner (indirectly assisted by Tom Disinger), helped out at a work project for the Malta Veterans Appreciation Program. 

 

Still Vigilant on Virus

 

Even while we hope the coronavirus pandemic is winding down, our club remains committed to a Stop the Virus campaign.

The latest initiative, spearheaded by Rotarian Paul Sausville and funded by the GlobalFoundries-Town of Malta Foundation, has our members distributing high-quality reusable face masks. Most are going to retail businesses in Malta, along with some to town facilities.

In other business at this morning's meeting, we discussed getting back to actual not virtual gatherings on Thursday mornings. Next week, when the guest speaker will be a Gift of Life International leader, we are sticking to Zoom. But on April 1 we plan to try meeting at Panera restaurant, with a Zoom option for those who cannot attend. Future possibilities include a return to the Malta Diner, if and when it reopens, or to Shenantaha Park, where we went last summer.

Update on Seniors, Scholarships

 Malta Seniors President Kathy Eitzmann was our speaker at this morning's Zoom meeting. Most of her members have now been vaccinated against Covid, she said, and none so far appears to have died from it. The recent opening up of local pharmacies to give vaccinations has been a big plus. Several Rotarians offered help on tasks such as providing transportation.

In other business, our scholarship committee will be interviewing applicants on Saturday.

Food and other topics

 

Rotarians, left to right, Mike Williams, Cynthia Young, Miles Cornthwaite, Bob Bonney, Helen Endres and Barbara Conner, along with Jim Hale (below), were among those volunteering today at the David Meager Community Center's drive-through food pantry event.

At our Zoom meeting earlier, club member and New York Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner gave an update for more than an hour on matters including the state budget and Covid vaccinations.

QMC Update on Lesotho

The highlight of our Zoom meeting on Thursday was a report from Linda and Roger Gorham, board members of Qholaqhoe Mountain Connections (QMC), which we have been helping fund since 2014.

QMC operates in a poor and remote area of the southern African country of Lesotho. It provides scholarships to 63 students in high school, and eight at the National University of Lesotho. Two QMC-sponsored college students graduated last September with bachelor's degrees, one in accounting/economics and the other in social work.

QMC also funds supplies for the high school, and food support. 

Linda Gorham is a longtime QMC board member who has often spoken to our club. Roger joined the board more recently. They are both retired educators and former Peace Corps volunteers. Roger is a former Siena College professor and superintendent of the Ballston Spa School District.