Last Week: “Equestrian Riding Program for the Disabled”
This Week: “Power Applications of Superconductivity ” Phil Pellegrino
Next Week: Exchange Teacher, Mayuree Prawirwan from Thailand
Coming Up:
February 1 : Club Officer and BOD ElectionsFebruary 15: Club Centennial Celebration Dinner & Program
Give suggestions for future programs to Rey Whetten or Linda LeTendre
Other Events Coming Up:
January 25: BOD & Chairs Meeting 5PM
January 25 Club Assembly
January 29 District Mid-Year Assembly
February 1: Club Officer and BOD Elections
Invocation: Garry Morrow, Dan Stec or Bob Youmans
STEP IT UP!
The Club was treated to an enthusiastic talk on January 4 by Karen
Stanley-White, Director and Master Instructor of the Saratoga Therapeutic
Equine Program (STEP).
This eighteen year old program located off Spring Road in Glenville
serves individuals with physical, cognitive and/or emotional needs. Horses are
used as therapeutic tools to meet these needs. Through equine assisted therapy,
students (over 430 last year!) grow mentally and emotionally as they interact with
the horses, instructors and volunteers. Ms. Stanley-White stressed that STEP
“improves the fundamental capabilities of everyone who attends – including the volunteers!”
The Club learned that STEP is a registered charity with a $20K annual
budget and many current needs including the successful completion of a $100K
capital campaign for an indoor horse ring. Any help offered by our Club or Club
members would be greatly appreciated. Fund raising, making donations,
volunteering goods and/or services, “opening doors” in the community and special
projects were a few possibilities mentioned. STEP’s website is www.s-t-e-p.com.
News Briefs:
Club Options for Disbursing $3,000: On December 28 Club Assembly President-elect Rey Whetton summarized the options the Board of Directors was considering to implement the membership’s earlier approval of the use a $3,000 income surplus to fund a special project. Rey identified the following possibilities for contributions: · CLASP college scholarships for Charlton School graduates. · Scholarships to Schenectady County CC for BH-BL grads. · Support an Alzheimer program. · Provide an additional van for CHS senior transportation. · Support the CHS ‘Strengthening Families” program. · Support an Interact Club program to prevent youth suicide. · Support an RI program like that described by the Thornhills. Rey said that the Board would reduce the number of options and then ask the membership to make a final decision.• Dues Are Due:
Semi-annual dues ($60) should be paid to Ken Crotty prior to January 31.
• Laura Linder Inducted: Laura Linder was inducted into the Club on January 4 by Membership Chair Ron Serapilio and President Steve Caine. Laura has been a member of the Schenectady Rotary since 1995 and maintained 100% attendance there . She is currently Registrar of the Schenectady Museum Collections Department after having been Archivist of the Hall of Electrical History for eight years. Since 1991, Laura has also been the Historian of the Town of Charlton. She and her husband, Clarence, are the fourth couple to become members of the Club.Presidents Corner: Keeping a Healthy Balance Between Legacy Programs and Fresh Programs That Will Become Legacies: I recently looked at the program that our club produced in May 2001 for our 50th Anniversary Dinner Celebration. One of the most interesting sections of this beautiful piece of work is a chronology of club highlights from 1951-2001. It lists, by decade, significant club accomplishments. Those that have gone before us, and many of our present members, have clearly established a legacy of which we can all be proud. The legacy of fundraising and service starts in the 1950s when the club was a prime mover in the establishment of the community library in Ballston Lake. In the 1960s, we got involved in Group Study Exchange, initiated the Apple Pie Fest, and awarded youth scholarships. In the 1970s, we supported the start of CHS, began the Pancake Breakfast, Christmas Tree Lighting, and work at Clover Patch. In the 80s, it was publishing Walter Kessler’s prayers to help a child with spina bifida, helping the needy at Christmas, and playing a huge role in supporting “Polio Plus’ and “Gift of Life” Programs. And, in the 90s, we began construction of 4H facilities, built a nature trail at Charlton School, initiated the Apple Run, established a Youth Act Club at the Middle School , supported expansion of the library, and assisted with “Shots for Tots.” These are not all of our accomplishments, but you get the idea. During each decade of our existence we have found more needs that require our attention and help and new ways to raise money. It is interesting to consider the purposes these programs served and what has happened to them. Many were fundraisers; some used our organizational expertise; some involved donating money; while others required hands-on involvement. Many of them have become a tradition in our community and our club, or said another way, legacy programs. They continue to exist because the reasons they were started are still as valid today as when the tradition began. One notices when looking at the May, 2001 chronology that the list of accomplishments each decade is at least as long, or longer, than in the previous decade. I have my thoughts on why. They go like this: Rotarians look for ways to help, and serve others, and they are men and women of action. As Rotary continues to grow and get more efficient at its mission, and our world continues to get smaller and we become more interdependent, we, as Rotarians, see more and more opportunities to provide help across our four avenues of service. Also, as diseases or social problems are alleviated, new ones unfortunately crop up. Rotarians know their organization must stay vigorously engaged today with local needs, and even more so with international concerns, if Rotary is to continue to provide meaningful service in the future. So how’s our club doing in the first decade of the 21st Century? TIB is a wonderful start. Interact is promising. But, what’s next? The need is there. We need to find the right projects or programs for us to tackle, and then roll up our sleeves and go to work together to make good things happen. We need to continue to create helpful and worthy fresh programs today that will become legacies in our future. - Steve
WEBSITES: BHBL Rotary: www.bhblrotary.org
District 7190: www.capitalregionrotary.org