GRSP - THE PROGRAM

This program is one-of-a-kind. We have been bringing nations together since 1946. The program began with only four scholars, and now we are proud to say that we have more than 3,600 alumni from all over the world. The program’s purpose is to broaden the understanding of world peace by offering ambassadorial scholarships to international students for one year of cultural immersion and study in Georgia colleges and universities.

Each year, students from all over the world make friends in the United States and other nations and learn about differing cultures and lifestyles. Georgia Rotarians believe “Peace is Possible” and through GRSP promote international goodwill through friendship and understanding.

The students become adopted members of a Georgia “host family,” living on-campus at the school they attend. This is an ambassadorial program, not an exchange! This will be the first time in nearly 75 years that we will not have students, but we intend to keep the dream alive. This program has never been more relevant than now with negative information about the United States circulating around the world.

LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN GRSP

The Georgia Rotary Student Program, Inc. has been a separately operated 501(c)(3) organization, which was organized by the three districts in Georgia with the Rotary Club of Thomasville taking the lead. GRSP has always had a separate board, which is elected each year by the trustees in all three districts. The District Governor of each district selects the trustees that will be representing their district, who are nominated for three-year terms. Each district is allowed one trustee for every six clubs.

In July, all trustees select a chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. This year because of a change in bylaws, the trustees also selected an assistant secretary and will soon select an assistant treasurer. I am pleased to announce that your District 6900 GRSP trustees have just elected Ian Bond from the Rotary Club of Columbus to be your next District Chair for GRSP, and that Aadu Allpere from the Rotary Club of Buckhead and George Siggins from the Rotary Club of Henry County will be your new District 6900 GRSP Directors. Each of these individuals has invested a great deal in GRSP and we look forward to their leadership going forward. Jackie Cuthbert from the Rotary Club of Dunwoody has been selected as assistant secretary.

DISTRICT AWARDS

At our District celebration in Columbus, several GRSP awards were presented. Jackie Cuthbert received the Frank E. Bentley Leadership Award from the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs.  and these clubs received Jake Cheatham Memorial Awards for having the highest per capita contributions to the GRSP Endowment in their categories:

• Category 1 - Atlanta Airport: $94.12 per capita
• Category 2 - North Atlanta: $59.12 per capita
• Category 3 - Carrollton: $41.24 per capita
• Category 4 - Thomasville: $280.00 per capita

THANK YOU

It has been a pleasure serving as your District Chair. I have worked with Bill Smith from the Rotary Club of Brookhaven and Ian Bond from the Rotary Club of Columbus as our Directors for six years and I received valuable advice from them. We were able to:

• institute an incentive program for clubs giving at least $50 per capita to the GRSP endowment
• initiate a long term strategic plan for GRSP
• initiate the idea that the operational part of GRSP and the endowment should be bifurcated and
• promote the idea of a new program to diversify students and reduce costs to clubs – these ideas all coming from District 6900.

While serving on the strategic planning committee, we were able to get officers’ terms reduced to three years, so that District 6900 will have more opportunities to serve at that level in the future. We started a new program, currently called “The Pilot Program” that will allow clubs to work directly with the universities to offer qualified students from different countries the opportunity to get involved with Rotary and GRSP. We hope to attract students from countries we are unable to attract via our traditional route and the costs are much less to the sponsoring clubs. We have a new logo for GRSP and a new website. We are currently in an IT audit, which should allow our office to become more efficient, and in the process of hiring a development director to bring some of our ideas to fruition. There were those that did not want to change, but we were able to vote in these ideas.

Thanks to the anonymous donor in our District that donated $100,000 to the GRSP Endowment. Because of this donation Trustees voted last summer to fund another leadership award in our district to a student to be chosen by yours truly, who most exemplifies the standards of the Georgia Rotary Student Program. Since the students had left for home before awards were handed out, we decided to wait until next year to start giving out this award.

No, we won’t have students this year because of circumstances beyond our control, but it appears that because we won’t have a student this year, we will likely be receiving twice as much money from the GRSP Endowment in the following year, making it very economical to have a student. Many clubs who previously were unable to host a student because of costs, may be able to once again host a student. Conservative investing throughout the roller coaster ride in the stock market has allowed the Endowment to remain strong and, barring some unforeseen circumstances, should allow us to commit to a year of additional funds to the clubs.

Much still needs to be done and the new District 6900 leadership in GRSP are more than capable of carrying the torch. It has been a ride – sometimes bumpy and sometimes smooth. The students and host families have made it all worthwhile. Thanks to this District for the support it has given. I will continue as a host family in the future and, hopefully, hosting my 23^rd student next year. You can’t get rid of me that easily!!!!!

A WORD FROM WILLIAM ANDREW PATERSON, SCOTLAND, HOSTED BY LAGRANGE, CLASS OF 2018-19

The GRSP was first brought forth to my attention by a previous scholar when I started high school. 1 had always wanted the opportunity to visit and live in America so when I heard about this opportunity I made sure to find out more. I was, of course, devastated to hear that you had to be 18 or over (at the time I was 12) but from then on I did what I could to find out more and prepare for this year - such as the SAT and talking to a couple of previous students about their experiences and how they got themselves ready.

I would like to thank my host family (Mark, Jolene and Chase), who immediately made me feel at home and showed me what the true southern hospitality was. Giving me a lovely bed to stay in, helping me get set up and organised for the start of Fall semester in August, and of course, taking me to Walt Disney World, Florida. The process for getting my driver's license back home had been delayed. Thanks to Mark and Jolene, however, both gave me tips on driving and helped me get my Georgia ID. I also appreciate my trustee, Ken Townsend, for taking me to so many student weekends, like: Savannah, Young Harris, Alpharetta and Oglethorpe. I owe so much to the Rotary Club of LaGrange for having been so welcoming.

The courses I've taken overall have been Music Theory, Acting, Choir, and Math. 1 hadn't sung properly until I came here. And I am now part of two choral groups - LaGrange College Choir and West Georgia Choral Society amongst whom are a number of fellow Rotarians. I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time on stage for my acting practical exam (I did The Odd Couple) and having been a part of the theatre department's black-box show Blithe Spirit - I was but a mere butler and stage hand but had a great time nonetheless. Music Theory (which I'm taking further this semester) has been fascinating and has well-improved my appreciation for classical and modern music. For Jan-term I was lucky enough to be able to take two courses: a study of musicals, in which we went to see and review various musicals; and a car mechanic/Thai Chi/cooking/first aid course - great for student life-skills.

I have been adopted by the Danes from GRSP and plan to visit as many of the countries that my fellow students come from in the future. I am so thankful to Rotary for having provided this opportunity of a lifetime and realise that I am incredibly lucky to have been chosen. The memories I've made from this experience will stay with me for a very longtime.