Report of Meeting of 5 May 2008

(For Distribution 12 May)

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· Ron Serapilio opened the meeting, George Bailey delivered the invocation and America the Beautiful was sung.

· Bill Lonergan introduced our guests.

· Ron Serapilio reported that our own Dan Stec was recommended by the Nominating Committee on 4/28 for the office of District Governor. The recommendation will be presented to the membership at the Rotary Shares Day on 17 May. The club gave Dan a standing ovation for this honor.

· Ken Crotty presented Dan his second Paul Harris award. Congratulations!

· Mark Gasparovic reminded all that the 5/12 meeting will be a guest night and requested an indication of the number attending for meal planning purposes.

· Ron announced that Jordan Twardy, our Rotary Youth Leadership representative and VP of the Interact Club is the 2008 winner of the RYLA award.

· Bob Youmans announced the BHBL Interact Charity Garage Sale to be held from 9-4 on Saturday 10 May at the BHBL HS cafeteria.

· Bob also described the Parker Project to clean up the grounds of the John Parker home at 13 Gartner Drive on 10 May. Sponsors include the BHBL HS, United Methodist Youth and Boy Scout Troop 83.

· The 19 May work project will be devoted to Town-in-Bloom only. Dinner will be at the Ballston Town hall at 7 PM, not the usual 6:15.

· Walter Grattidge announced that Rachel Nichols, student at SCCC, will be the 2008 recipient of the 2008-2009 BHBL Rotary Bartlett scholarship award.

· Val Mosier is finalizing arrangement for the Rotary exchange the week of 19 May. He needs drivers. Please volunteer.

Mary Anderson, the chair of the club’s Vocational Service committee, introduced the topic as a fine example of an activity both vocational and educational in its nature. Roots and Wisdom was founded in Schenectady 3 years ago with the goals of locally growing organic vegetables and flowers for local consumption, and involving local people – particularly youth – in the process. Mary is chair of the Advisory Board.

The first speaker, Christine Horigan serves on the staff as Director of Outreach. Christine described Roots and Wisdom as a project of Cornell Cooperative Extension focused on Agriculture, Community and Service. Roots and Wisdom is a youth agriculture and community service program, bringing together Schenectady County youth and committed adults to grow organic vegetables for donation to local food pantries and for sale within the county. The Roots and Wisdom program teaches its participants about sustainable agriculture, hunger, nutrition, and diversity. Roots and Wisdom creates genuine change by helping county residents in need and providing youth with opportunities to work hard and grow. Four organic gardens are operated within the city of Schenectady.

The six-week Summer Growing Program is for youth ages 14-18. Youth from throughout the county work together to make Schenectady a better place, by growing high-quality organic food for sale and donation. In the process they also learn about themselves, their community, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and the power of youth. Regular programs for children and youth are offered in the spring and fall.

Roots and Wisdom donates about twenty percent of the food grown in the program through food pantries and banks. The organization works to raise awareness of the benefits of eating locally produced food. They are working on establishing a Farmers’ Market in Schenectady.

Delphine Tseng, the second speaker is a student at the Schenectady County Community College. She has served as a summer crew leader and is presently a member of the advisory board. She described her activities last summer, with particular emphasis of how gardening brought youth from widely different background into interaction with each other and into fellowship.

The club thanked the speakers for their presentation and presented them with the proceeds of the meeting’s Happy Dollars collection.

Reported by Fred Baily