From Our District Governor

Joining Together ... for Action and for Reflection

By Kirk Driskell

It's hard to believe it is April already - and but for COVID-19, we would all be gathering for District Conference in SanDestin to celebrate another year of fellowship and making a difference in our communities and the world. We will look to celebrating in SanDestin in August, but until then it's important to continue with the actions we've been involved in all year, and to reflect on our purpose and impact. That said, I'd like to focus on two important events - one calling us to action, the other to reflection.

As you have no doubt heard and can read below, on March 26, an EF4 Tornado came through the historic residential district of Newnan, Georgia - with winds reaching as high as 170 mph that caused catastrophic damage, .5 mile wide and 1.7 miles long. The storm damaged about 1800 homes - 300 of those were left uninhabitable. The city’s low to moderate income residential area received major damage, as did two local schools.
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Tornado Relief Request

Newnan Needs Assistance after Catastrophic Tornado

By Garnet Reynolds

At 12:10 AM on Friday morning, March 26, 2021, an EF4 Tornado came through the historic residential district of Newnan, Georgia. The tornado reached winds as high as 170 mph and the path covered seven miles, causing catastrophic damage. The Rotary Club of Newnan is seeking to provide assistance needed over the long journey to recover from a storm that damaged 1800 homes (300 deemed uninhabitable), left 6,500 of 10,000 Newnan Utilities customers without power (now mostly restored) and did severe damage to Atkinson Elementary and Newnan High School (picture #1). Read more about the damage and how Rotarians and their clubs can help. [more]

Club News

North Fulton Invites You to Virtual National Day of Prayer ... May 6, 2021

By Steve Siders

Please save May 6, 2021 and join the Rotary Club of North Fulton online for its 19th annual celebration of the National Day of Prayer. The service will take place from 7:45 am to 9:00 am. You may join on the club’s Facebook page or the club's website for a time of celebration and reflection.

The featured keynote speaker will be Janine Maxwell, Co-Founder and COO of Heart for Africa, as well as author of three books, including her soon to be published book Hope Lives Here. Together Janine and her husband Ian run a faith-based organization focusing on Hunger, Orphans, Poverty and Education in Eswatini, Africa, 
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GRSP Update

New Direct College Selection Program

By Ian Bond

In the Georgia Rotary Student Program workshops our focus of discussion was sharing a whole new way of enabling Clubs to partner with their local college or university, select students and increase diversity in future GRSP classes - all in an affordable way. We call this the Direct College Selection program. Let me take a few moments to summarize and with contrast the new option with the Standard Selection program what Clubs are familiar with and remains as an option going forward).
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Laws of Life

Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest Announces School Winners

By Jackie Cuthbert

The Georgia Rotary Clubs Laws of Life Essay Contest today announced State and local school winners for the 2020-2021 contest. At the State level:

  • Corbin Austin of Bainbridge High School is the State winner
  • 1st Runner-Up is Eriyel Fisher of Loejoy High School
  • 2nd Runner-Up is Ian Kligora of Rome High School
  • 3rd Runner-Up is Adrian Whitlock of Heritage High School
  • 4th Runner-Up is Lily Griner of Colquitt County High School
  • 5th Runner-Up is Christopher O'Neal of Thomasville High School
  • Winner of the George A. Stewart Jr. Character in Action Award (sponsored by RC Dunwoody) is Jamea Harris of the ME Stillwell School of the Arts.

In addition to the State Awards, local awards go to 135 school winners and grade winners 
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The Rotary Foundation

Patsy Wolff Becomes Arch Klumph Society Member

By Trummie Patrick

Patsy Wolff of the Roswell Rotary Club is one of the newest Arch Klumph Society members. Patsy and her husband Bill graciously donated $300,000 to The Rotary Foundation, in honor of Patsy’s mother. A member of Roswell Rotary since September 1991, Patsy ushered in the era of women in our club. She also helped launch Honor Air in memory of her uncle and has sponsored many veterans on trips for the past ten years. In 2020, Roswell Rotary bestowed our highest honor, the Service Above Self Award to Patsy for her lifetime of involvement and support of our club.

A member of Roswell Rotary since September 1991, Patsy ushered in the era of women in our club. She also helped launch Honor Air in memory of her uncle and has sponsored many veterans on trips for the past ten years.

In 2020, Roswell Rotary bestowed our highest honor, the Service Above Self Award to Patsy for her lifetime of involvement and support of our club.
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Club News

Americus Sends Message About Ending Human Trafficking

By Angela Smith

The Rotary Club of Americus used the week of February 22-16 to address the issue of human trafficking and modern-day slavery through awareness and education. The club used social media daily with facts about the End It Now movement and human trafficking industry, beginning with a video interview with the global chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. We want to thank Dave McCleary for taking time out of his schedule to talk with Drew Anderson, Pastor of Sumter Chapel and point of contact for End It Now in the Sumter County community.
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Club News

Interact… Persevering in a Pandemic

By Michael Bixler

All over the world, Interact Clubs are helping young students age 12-18 develop leadership skills, give back to their communities, and have fun doing it. There are nearly 15,000 Interact clubs in 145 countries and more than a third of a million Interactors discovering the meaning of Service Above Self. In District 6900 alone there are more than 50 Interact clubs, and six of those are sponsored by the Rotary Club of Thomasville.

One club stands out for its grit and the kind of determination that characterizes budding leaders. The Christian Homeschool Association of Regional Thomasville (C.H.A.R.T.) Interact Club found ways to serve while staying safe. Teacher-advisor, Molly King, admits that “this year’s service projects have been a bit different” because of COVID-19, but she could not be prouder of club members’ creativity and enthusiasm.
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Club News

Smyrna Partners to Beautify Campbell Middle School

By Narayan Sengupta

On Saturday. March 27, 14 Campbell Middle School parents, students and faculty teamed with the Smyrna Rotary Club for a fun landscape cleanup project. Armed with chainsaws, hedgers, clippers, tarps and more, they cleaned out decades of underbrush and overgrowth to help beautify this wonderful school whose most famous alum is Hollywood superstar … [more]

Club News

Peachtree City Partners with Wellspring

By Mandy Timmons

What better way for our club to give back to our local community and to help support one of our initiatives through RAGAS / End Human Trafficking Now campaigns than as a partner with Wellspring? With the generous donation of ~$35,000 of LED lighting products from Cooper Lighting Solutions and the project management by Herr Electric, the Peachtree … [more]

Club News

Douglas County Adds StoryWalk® at Hunter and Deer Lick

By Samantha Rosado

The Douglas County Rotary Club and the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County have worked in tandem to make a new StoryWalk® experience at Hunter Park and Deer Lick Park a reality. Local author, Kim Ichter Eldredge, is proud to have her children’s book, The Sky is the Limit, as the featured story. Families can enjoy the first half of the book as they walk the trail at Hunter Park, and then visit Deer Lick Park to complete the book on the trail there.
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Club News

Lake Spivey/Clayton County Welcomes Middle School Science Fair Competitors

By Ron Swofford

During a March Zoom meeting, the Rotary Club of Lake Spivey/Clayton County featured middle school students selected from the annual Clayton County Science Fair to represent the region at The Georgia Science & Engineering Fair (GSEF.) The fair at the state level traditionally is held annually in March/early April in Athens, Georgia. 
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From Facebook

Making a Difference in Our Community

By Jackie Cuthbert

Rotarians from all over District 6900 have been making a difference in their local communities ... for children at places like Jacob's Ladder, in community gardens at the Chastain Park Conservancy and MercyMed Columbus ... to street clean-up in Alpharetta and Senoia ... to sponsoring a "senior" prom, delivering groceries and recognizing first responders. Check out the work of Rotarians in the Rotary Clubs of Roswell, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Cordele, Muscogee Columbus, Fayettsville, North Atlanta, North Columbus, Senioa, Johns Creek North Fulton, Carrollton Dawnbreakers and Columbus. [more]

Club News

Americus Honors Georgia Southern Technical College GOAL Winner

By Angela Smith

In its annual show of support for South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership program (GOAL), the Rotary Club of Americus presented a check to this year's winner - Dawn Ammons, a cosmetology student, who was selected from a field of 17 SGTC nominees. Ammons will serve as the college's ambassador for technical education in Georgia.

Ammons will now prepare for regional competition in April and, if chosen as a finalist, will represent South Georgia Technical College at the state level. A panel of leaders from the business, industry, and government sectors will interview nominees and choose one to be the 2021 State GOAL Winner and the recipient of the GOAL medallion. Additionally, the state winner becomes the spokesperson for technical education in Georgia for the entire year and is awarded a new car from Kia Motors.
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Club News

Roswell Sponsors High School Relay Event

By Trummie Patrick

In March, the Roswell Rotary Club hosted the 24th Roswell Relays in conjunction with Roswell High School. This invitational track meet provides a high-profile opportunity for high school track & field teams from throughout Georgia to compete against the best in the state. Ten high schools were represented with both boys’ and girls’ teams participating. A full slate of field events was held in the morning session followed by track and relay events in the afternoon.
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From Facebook

Raising Money to Serve Communities

By Jackie Cuthbert

When the Cairo Rotary Club was faced with not being able to hold its biggest fundraiser – the Father Daughter Dance – it turned to another idea. This May, the Club will host its first fishing tournament. Take a look at their promotional video more]

Club News

Midtown Atlanta Supports Kindezi School

By James Yost

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was difficult and stressful for everyone. Stay at home measures, school closures, and social distancing made it challenging to connect with certain parts of our local community. However, the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club (MARC) decided to persevere by continuing to connect and build relationships with community partners. One such partner is The Gideons Elementary School, part of the Kindezi school system. The mission of the school system is “To transform public education in Atlanta by providing more students—including those with the highest needs—access to a genius-awakening education, built on family-sized classrooms, scholarly excellence, socioeconomic integration, and holistic growth.”
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Club News

Moultrie Distributes Masks and Sanitizer to Local Nonprofits

By Jaclyn Donovan

Thanks to a Rotary District 6900 connection, the Moultrie Rotary Club was able to receive a large supply of masks and hand sanitizer to be distributed to local nonprofits, including Green Oaks Center, Crossroads Gospel Rescue Mission, Life Under the Son Ministry, Hero House, Serenity House, the Forgotten Initiative, Hope House and the Colquitt … [more]

From Facebook

Making a Difference in Our Schools

By Jackie Cuthbert

From launching Cross Keys High School SAFE Center ... to distributing school supplies and recognizing teachers ... to participating in a science fair and establishing a scholarship for dependents of law enforcement professionals, the Rotary Clubs of Brookhaven, Fayette Daybreak, Sandy Springs and Henry County get an "A' for their work supporting education. [more]

Club News

Douglas County Gathers Spring Break Supplies

By Samantha Rosado

The Rotary Club of Douglas County successfully delivered MANY non-perishable items to Eastside Elementary School! They hope that these donations will fill a need during Spring Break and other times when families need to utilize the school's Pink Pantry. Items donated include: • 216 Water Bottles • 7 Boxes of Pasta • 18 Family … [more]

From Our District Chaplain

A Closing Thought ...

By Gregory Adams

The world is changing everyday and our lives are being affected by these changes. In fact, some of the changes are even challenging, and if we are not careful, we can easily lose focus. So I encourage us to take a panoramic view of life through our mental camera, focus on what is important, and capture the good times that are developed from the negatives. Know that if the picture that you've taken is not perfect, then it's OK to take another picture.
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