The Irish Man

 Brian Farrell, after ordering his usual protein-heavy breakfast,

spoke at Thursday's meeting about his life from growing up in north Dublin, Ireland, to becoming a member of our Rotary club in Malta, NY, where he is happy "to see good people doing good work and to be part of it."

He has worked as a musician and in construction, achieving success as drummer for the Irish band The Mighty Stef, touring with them all over Europe and the United States. After bandleader Stefan Murphy broke up the group, Brian moved to the United States in 2017.

He worked in building restoration and construction, with jobs including the Inn at Saratoga and the cancer unit at Glens Falls Hospital. He has his own small business for projects, The Irish Man, but has not cut all connection with music performance.

In other business, our sponsored Red Cross blood drive on Monday at the Malta Community Center brought in 42 units -- 32 whole blood and 10 power red. Rotarians in attendance there also were able to drive one donor who was feeling shaky to an appointment, and delivered surplus milk from the Malta food pantry to Shelters of Saratoga.

Polio Plus

 

Paul Perreault talks and Jim Hale listens at our meeting on Thursday.

Paul, who is Malta town historian and a member of the Ballston Spa Rotary Club, spoke about the massive efforts, starting about 45 years ago by Rotary at the International level and including our District, to wipe out polio. 

It is hoped that every Rotarian every year will contribute to this cause, and every club has a Rotary Foundation chair to help make it happen.

Paul also spoke in more personal terms, about seeing children in iron lungs when he was young, how his own brother had a purportedly "mild" case of the disease but was seriously affected in later life by post-polio syndrome, and about his friendship with his work colleague Louise Rourke, a polio survivor who swam Lake George in 2018 to raise funds to help Rotary eradicate the disease.

In other business, members discussed upcoming events they will be volunteering at and the public can support, including: a barbecue this afternoon (Friday) at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa; a craft fair with an AOET Uganda booth at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs on Saturday; and a Malta Sunrise Rotary-sponsored Red Cross blood drive Monday afternoon at Malta Community Center (would-be donors please put ZIP code 12020 in link).

Malta Community Day

It's coming up this Saturday, September 9, from 10 to 3 at Shenantaha Creek Park off East Line Road. We'll be there with a cornhole game, and information about the Rotary, how you can be part of doing good in our community and around the world. Come on down, rain or shine.

At this morning's business meeting, we discussed Community Day and our upcoming Red Cross blood drive on Sept. 18 at the Malta Community Center, and how to continue supporting QMC in Lesotho, and voted to make a $200 contribution to support Rotary relief efforts following the fires in Maui, Hawaii.

Clean Energy Push

 

Laura Faulk, on left facing camera, and Harry Meehan, at end of table, were last week's speakers, filling us in on The Climate Reality Project. Both are members -- along with our member Paul Phillips seated between them -- of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ in Saratoga Springs. The New York State Council on Churches also is involved in the clean energy movement.

Laura suggested taking advantage of current government subsidies such as tax credits and rebates to improve energy efficiency, including through NYSERDA   and Rewiring America.