Rotary Brunch Fundraiser Honors Community Leaders

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The sixteenth annual Community Service Awards Brunch hosted by the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club took place Sunday, October 4 at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

The brunch was a fundraiser for the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to assist students from the greater Saratoga community to advance their education and training by raising and managing funds in support of scholarships and general educational needs. In June, $53,000 in scholarships was awarded to 12 local students.

The fundraising brunch featured a silent auction, food donated by Longfellows restaurant, as well as musical performances by the chorus group “Dynamics” from Skidmore College.

Philip W. Klein and Reverend Jay and Judy Ekman were honored for their humanitarian services in the community.

Klein is currently vice president at Adirondack Trust Insurance in Saratoga Springs. He has lived in Saratoga Springs for more than 35 years and spent 18 of them as a supervisor for the City of Saratoga Springs. He also served as past chair of Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, past board member of Saratoga Care, and past president for Saratoga YMCA. He is the current chairman of The Wesley Foundation and sits on the Saratoga Springs Planning Board.

When he was accepting his speech, he mentioned how he felt the most reward working with the board at Saratoga Hospital. “They have experienced well-paced growth, and medical care is of the utmost importance,” Klein said.

Klein inspired the crowd at the end of his speech by saying, “Volunteer. It’s good for you.”

Reverend Jay and Judy Ekman have been married for almost 50 years. Together they helped start the Rural Food Delivery Program and have been involved in youth-centered activities for many years. Judy helped start the Child Abuse Task Force (now the Center for the Family), while Jay chaired OASIS, a drug counselling effort. They both have organized many interfaith activities over the years in the community.

“If you’re trying to make the world a better place, going at it alone is not an option,” said Judy Ekman.

In regards to his wife, Jay Ekman said, “We have a shared purpose and a shared memory.”

For more information about the Saratoga Spring Rotary Education Foundation, visit saratogaspringsscholarships.org.