Kiwanis Club of Sand Lake, NY

President Gary Meislin                                                                                                                                          Secretary Patricia A. Lane

President-Elect Skip Patton                                                                                                                           Treasurer Robert S. Pasquarelli

Webmaster David E. Booker                                                                                                                       Immediate Past Pres Gerald Tysiak

Sandpiper Editor Margaret Weiss                                                                                                                         Photographer James Rogers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John C. Brownrigg, James M. Colabelli, Eve M. Ward

Joseph M. Behson, Raymond C. Turner, , William M. Whipple

Barbara Fioravanti, Robert R. Loveridge & Ron Wagner

MEETING OF FEBRUARY 22, 2010

PRESIDENT Gary Meislin presiding

GREETINGS & INVOCATION by Deacon Bob Pasquarelli

GUESTS:  Speakers Laura Abate and Sharon Bemis  

PROJECT SIGNUP SHEETS

          DOORS OF HOPE Fri Mar 5:  WE NEED HELP!  NO ONE SIGNED UP!!!

                                            Tues Mar 16:  Johnsen, Pasquarelli, Davis

            RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE Thurs Feb 25, 12:30-7:  Weiss, Lane, Pasquarelli, Turner, Gates, Ward, Whipple.  Just a reminder……your times were previously announced.

            SENIOR LUNCHEON Thurs Mar 11, 9:30-2:  Trupia, Dorr, Mulligan, Turner, Lane, Davis, Whipple, Weiss, Pasquarelli.  Again, a reminder.

            AMBA BLOOD CLINIC Sat May 15, 6:30-9:30 AM:  Mark your calendars; signup later.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• DIVISION COUNCIL MEETING next week March 3 at Nichi’s Restaurant in Wynantskill at 6:30 PM.  IMPORTANT!  Van Rensselaer elections to be held.  Signed up to go:  Ward, Weiss, Brownrigg, Pasquarelli, Tysiak, Lane, Behson, Booker, and Wagner.  $20pp.  This is nearby at the former Dino’s Restaurant.  Anyone else interested call Gov Dave ASAP.

• RPI Circle K is sponsoring their 3rd Annual Iron Chef Competition this Sat Feb 27, 7 PM at the Student Union.  $5 makes you a judge, and you can eat all you want.  Student groups prepare an entrée and dessert, all using a “secret ingredient”.  Lane, Ward, and Weiss went last year, had a great time, and are going again.  Proceeds go to Gilda’s Club (cancer support group) in Latham.

• Kiwanis International Convention to be in Las Vegas this June.  Register NOW and save $$!

• Summerfest meeting tonight following the regular meeting.

PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD to Dudley Dorr for 41 years!  CONGRATULATIONS!!! 

                    (Dudley checking out the 41 year tab for his lapel pin)

PROGRAM:  The Future of George Washington School         Joe Behson introduced Laura Abate and Sharon Bemis who presented a power point program on George Washington School’s possible future.  It was recently announced that due to budget constraints, GW and Sand Lake Schools may be closed.  Averill Park’s newest school was built as a one-room school in 1885, added to in the 1940s, 1960s, burned and rebuilt in the 1970s, and renovated in the 1990s into a fully handicapped accessible facility, (including playground), with a large sunny cafeteria, a full-sized gym, and music and art rooms.  Formerly Brunswick Common School District, it was annexed to APCSD in the mid 1990s.  Small community schools have many advantages, including higher academic achievement, greater student self-esteem, higher teacher satisfaction, greater parental involvement and volunteer opportunities.  The entire school is like an enlarged family, where names are known, and friends are more easily made.  Field trips can include the entire school population, and all-school activities can be accommodated in the large gym.  Most of the children walk to school (3-mile radius), many with parents, and older kids can ride their bikes because they live close enough.  Many activities accentuate environmentally friendly projects, and include charitable donations to local and global interests.  At present student enrollment is in one of its periodic declines, leading administrators seeking ways to solve budget problems.  If their school is closed, these very young children will be scattered, (requiring busing), among the other elementary schools, far from their familiar surroundings and neighborhood friends.  GW School residents are concerned because closing the school will limit flexibility for future growth which is expected to be in this western part of the district because it has very affordable housing.  Residents feel that closing is a short term solution, and that the Board of Education should consider other options, such as reduced staff, cuts in department budgets, and voluntary holds on raises.  The GW PTO urges us to make our voices heard, and save this gem for the future of our kids.  Fred Wurtemberger shared some of his memories as a GWS student who graduated from there in 1946.  He told of visiting the cider mill on lunch breaks, and working on a horse farm in exchange for riding privileges.  Ron Wagner thanked both speakers and presented each of them with Certificates of Appreciation.

HAPPY DOLLARS

$     Nancy Davis, for her new TV as of today!  She had been un-invited from watching the news at Java Beanery after her old set died.

$     Joe Behson, for the great presentation from Laura and Sharon!

$     Eve Ward, for my birthday celebration Friday: taken to a movie and dinner by Peg & Pat!

$     Gov Dave, for the new East Greenbush Kiwanis Club, to meet at the YMCA next week!

$     Fred W, for a great program that brought back lots of memories!  (I’ll be away for 4 weeks)

                         (picture on right - it seemed this big back in '45 when I was a student at the GW School)

$     Pres Gary:  My son and daughter came over to clean my house, and they threw out half my stuff!  And they made me do my mail, too!  So I went to Meissner’s and bought myself some gold coins!  {He also bought the extra dinner tonight, too!  ED.}

DOOR PRIZE, provided by Joe Behson, was won by Kevin Sarsfield!

50/50 for $18 was won by Bob Pasquarelli!

MEGA 50/50, now worth $150, will continue to grow because John Brownrigg could only come up with the 6 of Spades from the 43 card deck.  That old King of Clubs is still hiding!!!

(picture - John giving last minute instructions to his surrogate drawer for the 50/50)

NEXT WEEK            NO PROGRAM:  BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING 

MARCH 1                   GREETER/INVOCATOR:  Joe Behson

MARCH 8                   PROGRAM:  Jo Moccia – INVITE A COMMUNITY GUEST NIGHT

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  John Mulligan

MARCH 15                 PROGRAM BY LEGACY COMMITTEE

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Bruce Perry

MARCH 22                 PROGRAM:  Nancy Davis

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  John Brownrigg

MARCH 29                 PROGRAM:  Ray Turner

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Jim Stacy

APRIL 5                      NO PROGRAM:  BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Joe Grillo

APRIL 12                    PROGRAM:  Joe Behson

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Jerry Tysiak

APRIL 19                    PROGRAM BY LEGACY COMMITTEE

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Bruce Perry

APRIL 26                    PROGRAM:  Scott Paul

                                    GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Nancy Davis

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

            “One’s friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human.”

                                                                                George Santayana, American Philosopher                          

Summerfest Committee hard at work after the meeting

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