Kiwanis Club of Sand Lake, NY

President Joseph M. Behson                                                                              Secretary David E. Booker

President-Elect Gerald Tysiak                                                                      Treasurer Robert S. Pasquarelli

Vice President Sarah M. Tripp                                                         Immediate Past Pres Robert R. Loveridge
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Christopher R. Blais, Roland B. Wagner, Eve M. Ward

Bryce E. Cutler, Deborah McSherry, James E. Rogers

John C. Brownrigg, James M. Colabelli, Margaret R. Weiss

CLUB BULLETIN COMMITTEE

Sandpiper Editor Margaret R. Weiss        Photographer -  Jim Rogers       Web page Editor  David E. Booker

MEETING OF FEBRUARY 25, 2008

PRESIDENT Joseph M. Behson presiding

GREETINGS & INVOCATION by Botsy Rosenberger

GUESTS:  Donna Cole Paul, speaker shown here wit Paul.

WELCOME BACK:  Bob Carpenter, Joe Grillo, Jim Stacy, and our newest member Laurie Leckonby

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ø       Joe Trupia:  Annual Senior Luncheon at Church of the Covenant Thurs March 13^th:  need help from SLKs to set up, serve, and cleanup (includes own lunch!) from 9:30 to 1:30. 

Ø       Request from Linda Sagendorf, Poestenkill Town Historian, for pictures of life in the town in the “early days” for a history book to be published soon.  Call her at 283-5100 ext-113.

Ø       INTERCLUB Thurs March 6 DIVISION COUNCIL at 6 PM, hosted by Rensselaer Club, catered by Casey’s Restaurant at the Knights of Columbus Hall:  Behson, Booker, Colabelli, Loveridge, Pasquarelli, and maybe Rogers.

Ø       Medical updates:  Jim Rogers’ back surgery was successful, and he is home recuperating.  Joe Cybulski is having tests to determine the cause and treatment of severe headaches, but he still requests information on Summerfest for publication.  Barb’s husband Gene Fioravanti is to have bypass surgery tomorrow.  {At this writing, surgery was completed, but he was still in recovery, and Barb had not seen him yet.}

Ø       Eve Ward read a thank you letter from ROUSE for Brookside’s holiday luncheon.

Ø       Chris Blais:  AP Key Club will host an Empty Bowls fundraiser Wed March 5 from 5-8 PM at the high school.  Cost is $10 for a handmade pottery bowl that you keep after you fill it with a variety of soups.

Ø       Pres Joe reminded the Club of the wonderful efforts of Military Mom In Action sending care packages to the troops overseas, and urged us to send checks to Kathy Buckley at PO Box 153, Melrose, NY 12121.  They are a 501-c-3 charity, so your contribution is tax deductible.

NEW MEMBER INDUCTION

          Secretary Dave presented Archie Robinson and Ray Turner with the information packet and insignia of membership, after first telling them they are joining an international organization of 8000 clubs in 96 countries, and urging them to visit any club, especially the 7 in our own division.  Botsy sponsored both men, and affixed their membership pins. 

Archie is retired, has lived in Sand Lake since 1959, had 4 kids, was active in CYO basketball, and coached Twin Town Little League for 10 years. 

Ray has retired after teaching at Algonquin MS for 35 years, is married to aerobic dance teacher Dexie, and is a town councilman.  Welcome to Sand Lake Kiwanis, gentlemen!

REPORT OF MID-YEAR CONFERENCE

          Both Pres Joe and Sec Dave attended the conference in Kerhonksen, despite the snowstorm that kept attendance well below expected levels.  Pres Joe reported attending many excellent seminars and meetings.  Sand Lake was commended on its 7 new members so far this year, and our “Invite A Community Guest” idea was credited with the reason.  The big news however, was the declaration of our own Dave Booker as candidate for Governor-Elect next year!  He received a standing ovation of congratulations from the Club, tempered with the realization that we may gain a governor, but we (SLK) will lose our wonderful efficient secretary!  Bob Loveridge offered to be Dave’s chauffeur for the stretch limo, but he would NOT be Dave’s First Lady!

PROGRAM

          Scott Paul introduced his wife, Donna Cole Paul, Attorney At Law with the firm of Hinman Straub, PC, with offices in Albany.  Besides specializing in estate planning and elder law, Donna is a Town Attorney in Sand Lake, assists the State Police prosecuting tickets, and does considerable volunteer work, including being on the Board of Twin Town Little League.  She ran the concession for a whole season—can we recruit her for our Food Trailer? 

Donna gave a brief overview of estate planning—never too young to start this!  First and most important is the WILL, no matter how little you think you might have.  If you don’t state where you want your assets to go, New York State will do it!  Next is the Health Care Proxy, which appoints an agent for you (when you cannot speak for yourself) to make decisions concerning extraordinary life-saving measures.  The companion to the Health Care Proxy is the Living Will, which supports the Proxy with details of your wishes.  You should also appoint someone you trust with your Power of Attorney to make the legal decisions the way you want them.  Trusts are complicated, but they are a way of assuring your wishes will be followed, and can avoid probate, which can be a long and complicated process.  Last on this basic list is life insurance.  Whole life is considered an asset and has cash value.  Term insurance ends at a specifically stated time.  As age advances, illness is always a consideration, and long term care insurance helps save your assets.  It is maintained for your lifetime, and once set, the premiums do not change.  Paying for care costs $100,000 in NYS, and if you can’t pay, Medicaid will take all but $4000 before taking over.  Maximum income may not exceed $50/month.  Asset protection is important for your survivors.  If your assets, including your home, total $375,000 or more, GET long term care insurance as soon as possible!  To encourage LTCI, New York State has offered a partnership, which may or may not travel if you move to another state—consult your agent. 

Pres Joe thanked Donna for a most informative talk, and presented her with our Certificate of Appreciation for it.

HAPPY DOLLARS

$       John Brownrigg, for a great presentation of a most informative program.  And for the eloquence of Botsy, Invocator & Greeter 2X in a row, maybe it should be permanent!

$       Eve, for both grandsons making the Honor Roll—Ethan High Honor & Drew Honors!

$       Fred, for surviving a week of babysitting grandkids ages 13 & 7 while parents were in Italy!

$       Jim Colabelli:  Great program, but I wonder…2 weeks ago it was Hospice, this week it’s end of life legal preparations…….!  Are we getting old?  Pres Joe responded, “That’s why we need new YOUNG members!”   Also I have a mystery:  in the wee hours of dawn, an unknown someone has plowed my driveway three times!  It’s nice, but who can it be?

$       Gary, for John McCain who will be our next president, for Obama who beat Whatsername, and for Clinton (I-did-not-have-sex-with-that-woman) whose wife will not be nominated!

$       Chris, for Dave Booker, what a great honor, but we lose a great secretary!  And for Armand, despite the grief of his father’s passing, printed the tickets for the Key Club Empty Bowls!

$       Bryce Cutler, for the great program!  As a banker, I say, take her advice!  And it’s so nice that we can talk about baseball and not about drugs!

$       Scott, for my wife’s stepping in at the last minute when my original program backed out!

$       Bill Whipple:  Took a bus trip to Lancaster, PA, and met a man who turned out to be Jim Walsh from the Troy Club, and who also gets his hair cut at Botsy’s!

$       Booker, for your expected future support getting me elected as Governor-Elect!

DOOR PRIZE, provided by Scott, was won by Jerry Tysiak!

50/50 for $24 was won by………..Jerry Tysiak!!!

MEGA 50/50—not Jerry this time, but Chet Melius—still couldn’t find that King of Clubs.  Chet picked the 5 of Clubs—right suit, wrong card—from the remaining 23 cards, so the pot of $427.60 will grow again next week!

NEXT WEEK    PROGRAM:  Eve Ward, Social Committee Chair

MARCH 3                 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING 

                   GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Jim Colabelli

MARCH 10               PROGRAM:  Clayton Besch   

                             INVITE A COMMUNITY GUEST (and tell Dudley if you do!)

                             GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Ron Wagner

MARCH 17               PROGRAM:  Dick Johnsen

                             GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Frank Breselor

MARCH 24               PROGRAM:  Gary Meislin

                             GREETER/INVOCATOR/CERTIFICATE:  Sarah Tripp   

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

                                                                             Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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