On the Heroin Epidemic, and related issues

Theresa Knorr, our speaker on Thursday, is shown after the meeting with club member Paul Sausville (the former Malta supervisor). A "recovery advocate," she is former director of Hedgerow House, a chemical dependence community residence in the town of Ballston.
Knorr currently teaches tai chi for recovery, and is associated with the new grassroots group Recovery Advocacy in Saratoga, which is hoping to open a community center.
 The last sentence in her talk was: "Love is what cures."
Update: Here is TK's contact information:
Theresa Knorr, CADAC

BALANCE Recovery Consultation l Tai Chi for Recovery

28 Division Street

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 222-4870

tknorr12@gmail.com

https://tknorr12.wix.com/wellnesseducator

https://www.facebook.com/BALANCE-Recovery-Consultation-1471119409770226/?ref=hl

RYLA dinner coming up

We didn't have a scheduled outside speaker at Thursday's meeting, so one of our members (Miles Cornthwaite) interviewed two others (Al Schmidt and Jim Hale). We also had a guest, Jessie Riley, publisher of Clifton Park Neighbors, who spoke briefly about a new Malta Neighbors magazine she plans on publishing this summer.
Mention also was made of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards dinner coming up on April 2. Arlene Schmidt from our club is much involved with the local RYLA program, which is held at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. The April 2 dinner will be at Skidmore at 5 p.m. in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, upstairs. Anyone planning to attend should send $25 by March 10 to D. Rossiter, 1482 Castleridge Road, Castleton, NY 12033.

Farmer/President/Councilman

Our speaker on Thursday was Chuck Curtiss, president of the Saratoga County Agricultural Society, aka the Saratoga County Fair, which will celebrate its 175th anniversary this summer in Ballston Spa. He's also a farmer in our neighboring town of Ballston, where he has been active in agricultural conservation and, last November, got himself elected to the Town Board. Thanks, Chuck.

Business Meeting

We have a regular business meeting on the first Thursday of the month (a day after our regular board meeting on the first Wednesday).
This week we decided to give $500 to CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services, $100 to Malta Ridge Fire Co., and $100 to a regional Rotary food drive. We're also revamping our scholarship program, so that it will now give an annual $1,000 award to a town resident who is a graduating high school senior.
Foundation Committee Chairman Al Schmidt reported that members have contributed $2,105 so far this fiscal year (which ends June 30) to the Rotary Foundation.

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.