News from Africa

 

Our vice president Paul Phillips speaks at Thursday's meeting about his recent trip to Uganda.

Paul, who has led local efforts to support AOET in Uganda for more than 20 years, said this was the first major mission trip since 2020 because of the pandemic (although he and four others did go over there last year). Another one is planned for May.

This time, they included a doctor, a nurse/practitioner and a dentist who worked intensively in clinics. The group also put in clean water systems at three schools.

Our club has supported Paul's AOET Uganda projects in recent years. 

We have also supported QMC in Lesotho. That's where the photo and letter below come from -- a new student whom we are sponsoring there.

Whitney Pangburn and Paul Sausville

Whitney Pangburn, district governor-elect for the 2023-24 Rotary year, speaks to our club at Thursday's meeting.

She will be the last governor of Rotary District 7190, which is merging into a new Central New York district. There is a new website, CNYRotary.org, where people can sign up to help.

Thursday's meeting was the first since the March 11 death of Paul Sausville, whose exemplary life of public service you can read about in the linked obituary. Paul was a charter member of our club and a very active one, dedicated to good works in a spirit of bipartisan friendship -- as can be glimpsed in the photos below (along with one of his wife, our fellow member and friend Nancy, to whom we extend deep sympathy).

New Superintendent's View

Dr. Gianleo Duca, right, addresses the Malta Sunrise Rotary Club at last week's meeting. Guests included town Supervisor Mark Hammond (in tie), Councilman Tim Dunn (center) and Capital Region Chamber Senior VP for Community Advancement Pete Bardunias. (The latter is not in the photo above, but check out his social media, e.g. Facebook, for more comprehensive reporting on this event.)

Duca became superintendent of the Ballston Spa School District earlier this year. It is hiring. "Three new drivers started today" (i.e. Thursday), he said, and "we need substitute teachers".

Schools are "almost back to normal" following the pandemic. In response to a question from Bardunias about restoring optimism and forming productive citizens, the superintendent said: "We've got to make sure we are building resilience". 

Most seniors are volunteering for community service projects. The district works with BOCES and "in-house" on work training programs, said Duca, noting that his father was a welder. Many students also engage in extracurricular activities including sports, music and theater, which may help them discover and pursue their passion, "that special thing for them". 

There are ongoing discussions about enhancing school safety. That, Duca said, is the issue where, "If I let my thoughts wander, it will keep me up at night."

New Schools Superintendent to Speak

Last month we had two historically minded speakers, Pete Balet and Paul Perreault.

Next Thursday, March 9, our speaker will be Dr. Gianleo Duca (see photo), the new superintendent of the Ballston Spa School District, which includes most of Malta. As always, members of the public are welcome to attend our 7:15 am meetings at The Ugly Rooster.