From Bobsleds to Baseball

                                            Last week's speaker, Norman Miller, is a 33-year US Air Force veteran, a former Olympic bobsled coach, and a participant in end-of-the-Cold War adventures involving the Soviet Union, its soldiers and the KGB, the CIA, alloy composites, Latvian athletes and an Estonian escape route to Finland. Miller has fictionalized those experiences in two novels, IceSpy and Inside the Cold War, and is working on a third with a Mafia element. 

Shaun Francis, this week's speaker, is a Malta resident who grew up in Colonie, and became a professional baseball umpire. He also became a labor activist, leading the Association of Minor League Umpires, and supporting its affiliation with the Office and Professional Employees International Union. He now works for the New York State Public Employees Federation, and attends law school.

In other business, we're sponsoring the AOET booth at the Glenville Oktoberfest on Sept. 27.

Banner Project Update

 

At a reception on July 24 at the Malta Community Center, the following 10 paintings were announced for the ongoing banner project in Malta.

They are:

Cyclist on Iron Truss Bridge by Tammy Handley

First Rose of the Season by Kristina Guernsey

Trail Traipsing by Maggie Dinneen

Winters Past in Luther Forest by Sean Campanie

Whimsical Faces- Zee Zee by Lisa Santy

Whimsical Faces-Buzz by Lisa Shanty

Helping Hands and a Monarch by Annika Nerf

The Malta Drive-in by Kristen Hardy Allen

After the Rain, Luther Forest by Ottavia Huang

Geese on Pond by Maggie Dinneen

Town Supervisor (and Rotary Treasurer) Cynthia Young said at the reception, "You can't have a community without art."

Chris Havens has led the project for Rotary.

Innovation Center

 

Our speaker Thursday was Beth Moeller, president of the Innovation Center at Saratoga, a seven-day-a-week nonprofit which is located in Malta at 16 Old Stonebreak Road. (Beth is also the owner of Interactive Media Consulting.)

The Innovation Center describes itself as a collaborative makerspace for all creatives and entrepreneurs. "It's a place to bring people together," said Beth, with resources including 3D printers, a computer lab, a wood shop and a sewing room.

It also has big plans, she said, including working with Tec-Smart (the Malta HVCC campus) on creating certificates for programs such as electric vehicle maintenance. 

Deadline Reminder, and Confirmation Clarification

 The July 1 deadline for our Make Your Mark on Malta project is quickly approaching, and if you have submitted something you should have gotten a confirmation email. If you haven't gotten a confirmation within a day or two of submission, it's possible you used the wrong email address -- as we're now aware at least one person did. So please submit again. We've had 24 submissions received so far.

New board sworn in

 

The new Rotary year starts July 1, and incoming officials, elected earlier this year, will include from left: Immediate Past President Chris Havens, Treasurer Cynthia Young, Vice President Paul Phillips, Secretary Brian Farrell, Finance Chair Steve Ames (in wheelchair), Sergeant-at-Arms Bob Bonney, Foundation Chair Barbara Conner, President Dwight Havens, and Membership Chair Steve Haydon. They were sworn in by District Area Representative Jim Frey, on right, at the house of Miles and Nancy Cornthwaite, who hosted our change-over dinner. Missing was Murray Eitzmann, who will be president-elect. 

Scholarship Winners

 Malta Sunrise Rotary scholarships this year went to two Shenendehowa High School graduates. Haylie Doxtater, on right in white dress, won $1,000 and Grace Green, on left, won $500. Cate Miller, at center, represented our club at the awards ceremony in the Shenendehowa auditorium.

Our speaker on Thursday was Fred Bahr from the Mechanicville chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which makes and delivers wooden beds for children in need.

The organization was founded in 2012, Fred said, and now has 327 chapters in four countries.

See here for details about upcoming events and how to volunteer or contribute locally.

 

Banker's Anti-Fraud Tips

 Molly Dugmore, branch manager of the Adirondack Trust northeast of the roundabout in downtown Malta, talked about the rising tide of attempted fraud, giving tips on avoidance while noting there should be "no shame" for the victims. 

These often online frauds include the "unexpected windfall scam", the "sweetheart scam", the "IRS scam", "overpayment fraud", and the "friend or family in need scam". The latter can be particularly effective when AI is used to imitate a loved one's voice.

In general, she advised, "Don't click on the link."

Regarding a more benign form of links, we heard about the Impactful Education Golf Tournament coming up June 14 at the Airway Meadows Golf Club. It benefits a Rotary-connected worthy cause, and if you just go to the dinner it's only $25. (See below.)

Our president Chris Havens went to the Malta Town Board meeting to publicize the Avenue Banners project.

See more at that link and below.

We Give $1,000 to Gift of Life

 

We inducted our newest member, Lisa Elam, at Thursday's meeting, seen on left with President Chris Havens. Lisa is from Westchester County and a relative newcomer to Malta. She works as a caseworker for Tri-County Care.

Chris can also be seen in the photo above, following the banner being carried by her husband Dwight Havens (on left) and Murray Eitzmann. They were at the Military, Veterans and First Responders parade last Saturday in Malta.

It was announced at Thursday's meeting that we are donating $1,000 -- mostly raised from individual member contributions -- to Gift of Life International -- an organization long associated with Rotary which performs life-saving heart surgeries on children around the world.

Strengthening the Core

 

Malta resident Ivy White was our speaker last Thursday, talking about physical fitness. "The key is moving," she said. "The best time to exercise is anytime you can fit it in."

She runs Ivy White Studios at 81 Washington St., Saratoga Springs, focusing on pilates, barre, and core-strengthening exercises. She also does home visits and runs classes in places such as Prestwick Chase. She can be reached at ivytrends@aol.com, or 518-580-2308, or 518-879-9302. 

Gift of Life Marks 50 Years

 

Dr. Harm Velvis (seated at center) was our speaker last Thursday, interviewed by Bob Bonney (standing).

Velvis, a pediatric cardiologist, has been active for 30 years in Gift of Life International, which provides life-saving heart surgery to children around the world. Since his retirement he has stepped up his involvement, serving on the board and making several service trips a year to countries such as Bolivia, Guyana and Jordan.

Gift of Life, he said, has helped more than 60,000 children since its founding, and now serves more than 5,000 a year. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in September with a gala and golf tournament on Long Island. 

In other business, Phil Kellerman from the Southern Rensselaer Rotary Club said the recent concert by the band Enjoyous, co-sponsored by our club, raised $600 for the St. Paul's Center shelter for women and children in Rensselaer.

We got a thank-you card from Qholaqhoe Mountain Connections for our $500 contribution to a food distribution program in the area served by QMC in Lesotho. QMC, which is phasing out operations, also sent a photo of a student there sponsored by our club.

Katherine Anne Porter and Malta

Town Historian Tom Williams spoke Thursday morning about the life and Malta connections of the writer Katherine Anne Porter (Tom also wrote the linked article). Porter, a Texas native, was staying at 

the Yaddo artists' community in Saratoga Springs in 1941 when she came upon a house on Cramer Road, Malta, south of Saratoga Lake. She bought it, called it South Hill, and worked on her novel Ship of Fools there, although that book would not be done and published until 1962, and she sold South Hill in 1946. There is now a historical marker there mentioning her and other owners of the house, which was built in about 1830.

Porter is perhaps best known for her long story or short novel Pale Horse, Pale Rider, first published in 1938 and in book form the next year. Its subject is the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19.

In other business, the passing of Joe Legnard, a former president of Malta Sunrise Rotary, was noted and he was remembered.

We wrapped up a food and hygiene products drive for the Malta Community Center Food Pantry.

And our upcoming benefit concert for a Rensselaer women and children's shelter is coming up this Saturday, April 26, from 7 to 8:30 in Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church in East Greenbush. Suggested donation $15. Some refreshments will be available. It's all co-sponsored by the Rotary club in that area; one of our members, Brian Farrell, is in the band (at right in photo on poster below).

 Be there or be square.

Assisting Displaced Ellsworth Residents

 

Angela McFarland, former publisher of the online Ballston Journal, spoke this morning about efforts by the town of Malta and volunteers to help displaced residents of Ellsworth Commons whose apartments sustained water damage resulting from a stray bullet in a fatal shooting last week.

There will be a party from 10 am to 1 pm this Saturday in the community room of Building 2 -- use the middle entrance of Ellsworth's northern building. Angela encouraged people to attend with donations such as personal hygiene products, cleaning and laundry supplies, gift cards, and/or those with expertise in areas such as insurance and construction who are willing to offer advice.

In other business, Jim Hale interviewed Paul Phillips, who was honored with his wife Jean in April as residents of the month by the Malta Town Board. Paul spoke about his upbringing, values, Naval service and volunteer work in Africa.

Posters and Pics

 Shelter benefit concert coming April 26. Our member Brian Farrell is the tall bearded Irish guy at bottom right.

We're doing a donation drive for the food pantry at Malta Community Center. If you encounter a Rotarian, please fill up their bag.

We're promoting the arts in these parts.
 

And we (these four and three others) were picking up trash on Dunning Street on a wet Saturday morning.

Donations and other Business

 

Light catches the topmost sapphires on Bob Bonney's Paul Harris Fellow pin, awarded at last Thursday's business meeting to mark his contributions to The Rotary Foundation.

We voted to donate $500 to ShelterBox, $200 to Impactful Education (for libraries in Ivory Coast), $115.50 to a Saratoga County Sheriff's Department child safety initiative in collaboration with the National Child Safety Council, and $50 for the Ballston Spa High School after-prom party. 

Also discussed were an upcoming collection effort for the Malta Community Center food pantry; ...

... and the "Make Your Mark on Malta" project, in which we, along with the Malta League of Arts and funded by the Malta-GlobalFoundries Foundation, are planning to put up banners in town. For more information including how to participate, see poster below:

   In other business, Scholarship Chair Paul Phillips said his committee has chosen two winners of our scholarship awards, for $1,000 and $500. (Their names will not be released yet.)

Paul and his wife Jean also were honored this week as residents of the month by the Malta Town Board, for their work with AOET Uganda.

This Thursday's speaker will be Day Dream Farmer Aliza Pickering.

On Saturday morning April 12 we'll be doing our semiannual trash pickup on Dunning Street -- meeting at 8 am near Forest Cleaners.

Ivory Coast Libraries

 

Don Wildermuth, left, and Katy Ballo (on screens) were our speakers last Thursday.

Katy, a Skidmore College graduate, is founder of Impactful Education, which creates libraries as educational hubs in Ivory Coast, the West African country where Katy lived before moving to the United States in 2013. She now lives in the area of Trenton, New Jersey. Ivory Coast suffered severely from civil warfare in the early 21st century.

Don, a former Wilton Rotarian, is treasurer and a board member of Impactful Education. For more information about the organization and to give a hand, check out their website.

LifeWorks Director

 

Krystle Nowhitney Hernandez, executive director of LifeWorks Community Action, was our speaker last Thursday.

Lifeworks -- formerly the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council -- is one of about 1,000 community action agencies (CAAs) around the country under a program established by the federal government in 1965. 

Most of its funding is from the US government, and last year, Krystle said, under the previous federal administration, it experienced a cut of about one-third for its largest program, Head Start. "We're fund-raising for everything now," she said. "We've scaled back our budget to bare bones." 

Other programs operated by LifeWorks include WIC, weatherization assistance, and the largest food pantry in Saratoga County (which is run by LifeWorks in Ballston Spa). Need is up, she said, and she is concerned about potential further cuts from the current federal administration.

An Immigration Services program is funded by the state.

LifeWorks does accept donations (including through a May 4 brunch fund-raiser) and relies heavily on volunteers. More information is available on its website. 

Lots Going On

 

Cate Miller (at end of table) was our speaker on Thursday, describing her role as branch manager of the new Hudson Valley Credit Union branch in Malta. It used to be a branch of Berkshire Bank, where Cate used to work.

She noted that HVCU's charitable foundation has given money to both the Malta Ridge and Round Lake fire departments in Malta, and $5,000 to Unity House in Troy.

Cate is one of our newer members along with Bret Smith (see below). She was also one of the members helping out at our Red Cross blood drive on Monday at the Malta Community Center.

 Anne Santino, coordinator for the Red Cross, said "We had a great blood drive, collecting 48 units on our goal of 31, including 32 whole blood and 16 power red units."

In other business, from a combination of club and individual member donations for projects in Africa which we have long supported, we have raised and are distributing approximately $1,100 for an AOET Uganda medical clinic, and $500 for an emergency food distribution program in Lesotho.

Upcoming events include an April 12 roadside cleanup of Dunning Street. Meet at 8 a.m. near Forest Cleaners.

On April 26, there will be a benefit concert by the band Enjoyous (our Brian Farrell is a member). The public is invited, and we voted to help the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club with the event, as described in their letter below:

"The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club would like to invite the Rotary Club of Malta, NY to co-host a charity benefit concert by the Albany-based band Enjoyous. The concert will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 7-8:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall at the East Greenbush Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush.

Enjoyous will feature mostly original folk, blues and rock songs.  Suggested donation of $15 to benefit the St. Paul’s Center in Rensselaer. The Center provides emergency shelter to mothers and their children without a place to call home.

Two sets of ten songs will be performed. A 15-minute intermission will be held with refreshments and snacks served. The intermission will allow a church representative to speak about the charity being supported and allow both Rotary Clubs to speak about their respective club and activities. The Fellowship Hall can easily fit over 100 attendees.

On behalf of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, I would like to ask the assistance of the Malta Rotary Club to share expenses related to the provision of refreshments and snacks for the audience. I will also be spearheading publicity efforts in local media.  

Enjoyous has been rehearsing quite diligently, and they sound great. I believe this event will showcase their talent while also informing audience attendees to the good works of both Rotary Clubs and the St. Paul’s Center.

Sincerely,

Phil Kellerman, President-Elect "

Superintendent's Report

 

Ballston Spa School District Superintendent Dr. Gianleo Duca was our speaker on Thursday. 

He started by describing the expanding construction trades program, which among other things builds "tiny houses" behind the high school. When completed they are moved and donated to area veterans.

The physical education program is changing, with students choosing "strands" such as lifetime sports or fitness. 

Musical productions included Beetlejuice Jr. in February, and Catch Me If You Can is coming up March.

Problem areas include mental health issues, homelessness, food insecurity, and absenteeism, all of which the district is trying to address.

Ballston Spa is planning to buy its first electric school bus, as mandated by the state. "I'm OK being late to the party," he said of the vehicles, which cost about $480,000 each.

Zim Smith Trail

 

We detoured for one meeting to the Round Lake Fire House, where Steve Haydon spoke about the Zim Smith Trail in south-central Saratoga County. In Malta, the trail extends from Round Lake northwest through the Shenantaha Park.

It also goes well beyond Malta, with the most recent extensions to Mechanicville in the east, and northwest to Ballston Spa. Cynthia Young confirmed plans at the county level to extend the trail north to Saratoga Springs, and possibly at some point beyond that.

Steve mentioned sights to be seen including a golf course and train depot near Mechanicville, a turtle crossing, the Ushers Road loop through a patch of state forest, and, in Malta, benches donated and installed by our club.

This week we return to our regular meeting site at The Ugly Rooster diner.