PANCAKE BREAKFAST ROTTERDAM — The Carman Fire Department, 2435 Hamburg St., will host an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. The menu will include pancakes, eggs, home fries, sausage, coffee, tea and juice. The cost is $7 for adults and $3 for children 6 through 12. Special rates apply for families of four or more.
Rotterdam T-Ball, Schalmont Area? Loooking for information on Rotterdam T-ball, or little leaque for 5year olds -Specifically in the Shalmont district. Is there any such leaque or where can I get more information? (note: I did some information on Carman T-ball, but I don't think we fall into that district) Thanks!
Upcoming Events Date Event Time Location Sat 2/14 Player Registration 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Clubhouse, Broadway Sat 3/7 Player Tryouts 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Schalmont Middle School Gym
Also, for anyone that has older children, I think that District 2 had on their sign that Babe Ruth signups were going to be soon. Don't remember exactly when, though.
ZITI DINNER BENEFIT ROTTERDAM — Good Ground Christian Preschool will host its fifth annual Ziti Dinner to benefi t the school from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday , at Christ’s Church of the Hills, 4809 Mariaville Road. The menu will include ziti with tomato sauce, meatballs, bread, salad and homemade desserts. There will also be a silent auction. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Takeout available. Call 346-6505 for tickets and more information.
BBQ TAKEOUT ROTTERDAM — Carmen United Methodist Church, 2350 Hamburg St., will hold a “Brooks BBQ,” from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday . Ribs and chicken are on the menu. For more information call the church at 355-7260.
ROTTERDAM Student raising funds for ill child 5-year-old has rare genetic disorder BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Caitlyn Collins hasn’t ever met 5-year-old Hannah Sames but knows enough about her story to want to help out. Last fall, the Mohonasen High School junior began reading about the child’s extremely rare genetic disorder online. Now, she’s challenging all of her classmates and teachers to help raise money to cure a disease that usually leads to death within 7 to 20 years of its onset. Hannah suffers from giant axonal neuropathy, a progressive disease that causes irreversible damage to nerve cells from its onset during early childhood. But because the disorder is so rare — there are as few as 50 children diagnosed with the disease annually — not much has been done to find a cure. “Right now this disease is one that has no money backing it and very little research done,” Collins said this week. “With the research that is done, however, doctors say they should be able to find a cure or treatment for it within four years if they have the funding.” Starting Thursday — Hannah’s fifth birthday — Collins will host a penny war at the high school. Each class will compete against the others to see which one can collect the most pennies in one of four large water jugs at the school’s entrance each morning and in the cafeteria during lunch. After two weeks, the pennies will be counted and the winning grade will get bragging rights as well as a small contribution toward their class project. But there’s a catch, Collins explained — students can also drop nickels, dimes, quarters and cash in the jars of the opposing classes, which count against their total score. In the end, Collins hopes to raise at least $500 for Hannah’s cause. Hannah’s disorder is classifi ed as an “orphan disease” because the pharmaceutical industry hasn’t deemed it financially rewarding enough to invest in research. So the Sames took up the cause last year by establishing Hannah’s Hope, the first nonprofit foundation aimed at curing the disease. Since that time, they’ve made astonishing progress. Last year, they conducted two symposiums, assembled a 22-member team of scientists and devised a blueprint to have a clinical trial within three years. “It’s not just science for the sake of science,” explained Matthew Sames. “Instead, it’s very tangible.” Last year, they conducted more than three dozen fundraisers. The effort resulted in more than $440,000 in donations that will go toward the estimated $2.5 million needed to develop a cure. “The exciting thing about it is the scientific team we’ve assembled is very confident,” he said. “They know exactly what causes this disease.” Even more exciting is the potential applications for a cure, Sames said. The genetic therapy that scientists believe will cure Hannah’s condition could also have practical applications in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Collins said the thought that she could raise money for such a cure resonated deeply because her grandfather suffers from ALS. Now she’s hoping to make a difference both for her own family and for one she’s hasn’t ever met. “He’s in the same boat as Hannah is with this disease,” she said. “It really put me back a step.”
BUSINESS MEETING ROTTERDAM — The next monthly meeting of the Rotterdam Business Association will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at Tops Restaurant, 351 Duanesburg Road. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Steve Tommasone, Rotterdam town supervisior, and Aurelia Lazzari, economic development specialist, will be the guest speakers. Rotterdam business people who would like to attend or join the association should contact Vicki Beyer at 641-5145 or e-mail vbeyer@cdphp.com.
JUGGLING PROGRAM ROTTERDAM — The Schenectady County Public Library, Rotterdam Branch, 1100 North Westcott Road, presents “The High Peaks Juggler,” a family program for all ages at 10 a.m. on Saturday .
The Mohonasen Band Boosters will be holding their Annual Bottle Drive on April 4th, 2009...NOT the date listed in the district calendar. Please leave redeemable bottles and cans in bags on your porches for pick-up.
CSEA GATHERING ROTTERDAM — CSEA Local 924 will hold their general meeting at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Rotterdam Senior Citizens Center, 2639 Hamburg St. Michael Byranes, associate manager for diabetes, will be the guest speaker.
WINGATE READERS ROTTERDAM — The Wingate Readers book discussion group of Rotterdam Library, 1100 North Westcott Road, will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, at the library. The group will discuss “An Irish Country Doctor,” by Patrick Taylor.
KNITTING CIRCLE ROTTERDAM — The Knitting Circle of the Rotterdam Branch, Schenectady County Public Library, 1100 North Westcott Road, will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, April 9 and April 23.