President's Message
Happy New Year
As tempting as it is, with all the out with 2020 & here comes 2021, I don’t want to lead with this meme – and while resolutions and goals are fantastic and fun, they aren’t the secret of our success. I think, rather, that life is a continuous journey and success comes from personal habits and daily persistence rather than lofty goals. No doubt 2020 was challenging. However, Roswell Rotary embraced it as a year of opportunity. We should be proud of our many successes. 1. Our Golf & Tennis Tournament earned $140,910! Thanks to your hard work and generous giving. 2. Sponsored Wellstar Zero Suicide Initiative training 124 health care providers to care for patients identified at suicide risk. This was funded through our winning a competitive district grant. 3. Partnering with the Milton Rotary Club with another district grant, providing $3000 to Jacob's Ladder to support their Taste of Love Learning Kitchen through the purchase of a new commercial oven. 4. Successfully hosting 2 Blood Drives collecting 43 pints. A 3rd is planned for Feb. 2021. 5. Honoring our Law Enforcement, First Responders, Fire & Rescue and 911 officers with our 1st Drive Thru Cookout. Over 200 were served! 6. Landscaping the Heart of Roswell Park, one of the most visited parks in our city. 7. Shipping 100 care packages to local deployed sailors through our Adopt A Platoon program. 8. Hosting Pints for Polio at Gate City and Variant in support of End Polio Now. 9. Supporting our Seniors with a new Meals on Wheels program. Our volunteers cover 2 days per month and have requested additional dates. 10. Collections for NFCC Coat Drive totaled 85 coats, 30 accessories and $495 in donations. 11. Donated 54 backpacks and $625 in supplies for NFCC Backpack Drive. 12. Generously supported Foster Care Support with 3 separate drop offs due to the volume of clothing and toys. 13. Cleaning the Chattahoochee River collecting hundreds of pounds of trash. 14. Supported The Drake House with a budget coach and providing a holiday dinner. 14. Wrapped and delivered gifts supporting 24 families working with Roswell Police "GIVES". 15. Holding fun social events through Hump Days, Gary Garrett's Farm and Honor Air Sharp Shooters Gun Fundamental Training events. 16. Sponsoring six interact clubs and including them in club projects. 17. Throw Back Thursday video's provide club history and good a laugh. 18. Recognized 28 new Paul Harris Fellows and a major donor. 19. Hosted our first Virtual Career Day at Roswell High School. 20. Media coverage in local newspapers and our District Newsletter. AND MUCH MORE! 2021 holds some great opportunities. 1. Roswell High School has given the "green light" for Roswell Relays, March 20th! 2. Spring Fling/Holiday/Anniversary Party - all in one - April 10th. Roswell Historic Cottage. 3. Honor Air Road Trip to Ft. Benning and Infinitary Museum - May 11th. 4. 70th Anniversary Celebration Meeting - April 22. 5. Laws of Life and RYLA are both slated to return in April and June. 6. DISTRICT CONFERENCE at DESTIN - April 29th - May 2nd. You will not want to miss it! Remember to share our good news with friends. That's our best source of membership. Continue your giving to the foundation. It comes back to us in so many ways. And above all, continue to do what you love. Move forward each day with the habits of success and we will fly right past all those resolutions! Happy New Year! This Week's Speaker
Peter Stoddard on Author Lewis Grizzard
Peter Stoddard is thrilled to be a new Rotarian, having joined E-Club of the South in September. He has been writing and speaking in public his entire career. Only recently did he begin to do it for a living. He grew up in Sandy Springs, GA and earned a BBA Marketing degree from the University of Georgia. A PR and events career starting in Atlanta with Lanier Business Products and Siemens took him to Chicago in 1984. In 2001 he transitioned to resort real estate on the Redneck Riviera in Seagrove Beach Florida. Peter returned to his Georgia roots in 2016 and now lives in Cumming. In November 2018 Peter started looking into the legacy of his favorite columnist, Lewis Grizzard. He met famous people with amazing Grizzard stories to tell that the world had never heard. In late 2019 Peter began telling those stories to every Rotary Club and interested group who will listen. By dumb luck Peter became arguably the world's foremost expert on Lewis Grizzard, a man he never met. In 2019 Peter published his first book, Lewis Grizzard: The Dawg That Did Not Hunt. In 2020 he produced a 1981 Grizzard 90+ minute humor CD with a hilarious intro by UGA legend Loran Smith. Charity Spotlight
Huskies Helping Huskies
Mission: To ensure academic success for all Crabapple Middle School students by supplementing nutrition, providing school supplies, and enriching lives during the middle school years while preparing them for future challenges. Fast Facts: • Founded in 2016 • Huskies Helping Huskies provides daily snacks and weekend meals to 30-40 Crabapple Middle School students. • Huskies Helping Huskies partners with the national organization Blessings in a Backpack that ensures that each student has sustainable food each and every weekend of the school year. • 100% of money raised to fund a school goes directly to feeding the children. • Blessings in a Backpack has partnered to develop a multi-year national evaluation project that measures program impact. In the first year, the program reported the following impacts: o 59% find it is easier to learn at school. o 60% do not get in trouble as much. o 78% feel cared for by their community. o 71% feel they are helping their family. o 60% report that their school attendance is better Find out more: www.huskieshelpinghuskies.jimdo.com
Rotary Last Week
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