From Our District Governor

It's a Year of Imagining and Making a Difference - Help Us Celebrate

By George Granade

We are three quarters through our Rotary year. Thank you for all you are doing for Rotary. Everywhere I go, I see the impact Rotary is having on all the communities in our District and many places around the world. I was particularly touched recently by the work of the Peachtree City Rotary Community Corps - as they fund and train service dogs for people who need them in the community - and was happy to be able to provide a district grant to help them expand their reach in this area. You can read more about them later in this newsletter. And take time here to read more about disaster relief for our district, district assembly and our upcoming District Conference in SanDestin - April 27-30, 2023. Green Acres is the place to be and I hope you will join us.
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GRSP Update

Pelham hosts GRSP Students for 57th International Weekend

By Katheryne Fields

Taking time to slow the pace and learn to say pecan seemed to be the theme for Georgia Rotary Student Program scholars who spent four days learning about rural life in South Georgia during a student weekend at the end of March. The Rotary Clubs of Pelham, Bainbridge, Camilla and Thomasville hosted the 40 GRSP scholars as they stayed with area Rotarians for the Larry Frosteg Pelham International Weekend, which served as 57th annual International Weekend event.

Ana Perez of Colombia attends Georgia Gwinnett College and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sugarloaf. “It was interesting to be out of the city and experience a small town,” Perez said. [more]

RYLA Update

Don't Miss Out ... Register and Pay Now

By Jaclyn Donovan

There’s still time to submit your Club Commitment Forms and verify that you are sponsoring a student to attend RYLA this summer. You can email to susanruckman@att.net or fax to 229-924-7617.

If you have already committed to sponsor a student or two (or ten), registration … [more]

Rotary Foundation at Work

Grant with Matching Funds for the Peachtree City Rotary Community Corps

By Mandy Timmons

District Governor George Granade presented the Peachtree City Rotary Community Corps with a District Grant for $500 along with matching funds from an anonymous D6900 Rotarian to help the RCC with its annual service project of donating a service dog to someone in need in the local community. The RCC started this program several years ago and increased their impact to be able to donate two dogs last year through additional fund raising. 
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Our Rotary Foundation

District Grants Are Now Community Grants

By Gillian Leggett

As you can see by the headline, the District Grants program is changing.  We are now COMMUNITY Grants. This change is made to avoid ongoing confusion with the District Designated Funds (DDF) that are passed along to the District from The Rotary Foundation (TRF) as one block grant.  This block grant is also a District Grant. Another reason for the change is to remind ourselves that 50% of our donations to TRF Annual Fund comes back to D6900 three years later for use in our communities. What a wonderful way to create hope right in our own back yard! Read more about improvements to the Community Grant program right here!

So what do you need to do to take advantage of this program? Read a little farther ... [more]

Our Rotary Foundation at Work

Rotary Club of Atlanta Southern Crescent Good Shepherd Clinic Project

By Claudia Mertl

Atlanta Southern Crescent used its community grant was to provide Uber Health Rides for those patients going to the Good Shepherd Clinic who have transportation difficulties. The patients can't get to their medical appointments, which often results in no-shows, and not getting the care they need. Uber Health provides rides to medical appointments. One of the single most impactful services we could provide is this one. Rotarians volunteered at the Good Shepherd Clinic throughout the year. The Clinic reaches uninsured residents of Clayton County and the Doctors, who work there, volunteer their time. Neither the patients not the Uber drivers could be photographed, so staff and Atlanta Southern Crescent Rotarians posed for the picture. Tom Mertl, Claudia Mertl, Joyce Baul. GSC staff, and Dawn Massenburg.
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Club News

Join Sandy Springs Pickleball Tournament

By Scott Einfeldt

The Rotary Club of Sandy Springs is hosting a Pickleball fundraiser on April 14 at the Sandy Springs Tennis Center near the intersection of Roswell Road and Abernathy. A portion of the proceeds will go to one of our community partners, Vision To Learn. Vision To Learn is a not-for-profit organization that provides free eye exams and glasses to children in low-income communities across the United States. This year, the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs partnered with Vision to Learn, and our club donated more than 800 pair of eyeglasses to elementary and middle school students in Sandy Springs.
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Club News

Marietta Metro Scores Big with SOUPer Bowl

By Sally Platt

While the NFL had the Super Bowl, the Rotary Club of Marietta Metro scored big with its SOUPer Bowl.  During the month of January 2023, teams of club members competed to see which could contribute the most cans of soup. The final tally was nearly 800 cans, which were divided equally between the food pantries at Georgia Highlands College and Chattahoochee Technical College. Many students struggle to make ends meet while they’re in college and having access to a food pantry can be a determining factor when it comes to staying in school.  Marietta Metro is proud to partner with both Georgia Highlands and Chatt Tech to provide scholarships and provide other assistance to help students stay in school.
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Club News

Stone Mountain Recognizes Champions of Education

By Cynthia Edwards

The Rotary Club of Stone Mountain hosted its Second Annual Champions of Education fundraiser event, Saturday, March 18, at the Georgia Piedmont Technical College DeKalb Conference Center. The event featured the presentation of awards to 19 individuals who included retired legendary educators and current inspirational educators as well as law enforcement professionals, public servants, community-based organizations, and businesses that have provided extraordinary support to students, teachers, and local education systems, especially during the pandemic.
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Club News

North Cobb Educates about Sex Trafficking Issues

By Hicks Malonson

Earlier this year, the North Cobb Rotary hosted “The Truth About Sex Trafficking” in partnership with Rescuing Hope (rescuinghope.com) and through grant funds from Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery that is a collaboration between RC of Marietta, RC of Smyrna, RC of Alpharetta and RC of North Cobb. More than 150 people attended the event.
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Club News

North Fulton Serves Up Literacy

By Lisa Gelber

The Rotary Club of North Fulton sponsored a Literacy Night at Children's Development Academy on March 23. Rotarians provided dinner for families at the school, supplies for an art project, literacy packs and the cost of an artist/performer. Members of the club served dinner, set up for the entertainment and did clean up duty. The families and students had a great time eating dinner together and enjoying a musical performance centered around reading.
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Club News

Rotarians Awarded National Presidential Volunteer Service Award

By Cynthia Edwards

At the end of the Rotary Club of Stone Mountain’s fundraising event, President Cesar announced that there were two other awards to present.  These surprise awards were Presidential Volunteer Service Awards and were presented to Past Presidents Cynthia Dorsey Edwards (2013-2014 and 2020-2021) and Irvine Weekes (2021-2022). The President's Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. Established by executive order by George W. Bush, the award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.
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Club News

Douglas County Serves the Homeless, Honors Top Students

By Nell Boggs

The Rotary Club of Douglas County brightened the day for residents of the homeless camp located beside the courthouse on a sunny but chilly January day when Rotarians served lunch of smoked ribs, pork barbecue, chicken, beans, and slaw. Many thanks to Rotary member Joe Williams who coordinated the project and did the cooking.

The Club also hosted its annual luncheon recognizing the STAR Student and STAR Teacher from every high school in Douglas County. Their speeches were inspiring. Students selected as STAR Students must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10% or top 10 students of their class. [more]

Club News

Carrollton Dawnbreakers Supports K-9 Unit

By Jessica Ainsworth

The Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotary Club had a special guest at their Wednesday meeting, Kilo, one of Carrollton Police Department’s K-9 Unit. Kilo is one of four from the K-9 unit and he is retiring soon. A check for $10,000 was presented to Carrollton's police department for the purchase of a police dog, training of the dog and the dog’s handler. 

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