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Lunch Meeting Friday, Nov. 21 Historic DeKalb County Courthouse 101 E. Court Square
Meeting begins at 12:15 pm
THURSDAY, APRIL 2
Past Presidents Celebration
The Lost Druid | 2866 Washington St., Avondale Estates, GA
GREETERS THIS WEEK
Stacey Stevens and Bryan Markowitz
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
. . . . .
FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 28 No Meeting
Happy Thanksgiving!
Laundry detergent* (powdered or pods)
Razors
Reusable cloth bags
Small paper bags, paper grocery bags
Toiletries, travel size
Tuna packets 2.6 oz
White rice 1 lb bag
Yellow rice 1 lb bag
Winter needs:
Jackets
Blankets
Gloves
Hats
Hand sanitizer
Tissues, small packs
*Economy-sized boxes of these are most welcome.
. . . . .
Holiday Gift Raffle – A Basket of Cheer
Dud Larus is coordinating a raffle for a holiday gift basket. Donate a bottle of spirits or wine, festive snacks, or other celebratory items, and we will raffle the basket in December.
Bring your items to our meeting, and we will collect them. Thank you!
. . . . . SERVICE PROJECT: November Coat Drive
Bring coats for men, women, children to our Friday meetings in November. Maria Alvarez will deliver all coats to Frontline Response, a nonprofit that fights sex trafficking and homelessness.
Thank you!
. . . . . SERVICE PROJECT:
Christmas Tree Sale – Volunteers Needed
Offering premium Frasier firs ranging from 5 ft. to 10 ft. as well as handmade wreaths and swags, the annual First Christian Church of Decatur Christmas tree sale is a friend- and fundraiser for our community. It’s also a nice way to honor our friend James Brewer-Calvert’s memory.
Trees arrive for unloading on November 23, and there’s lots to do!
Our club needs a Treasurer-in-Training.
Pete plans to step down from this role next summer, and we need someone to shadow him now and be ready to take over for the 2026-27 year. The treasurer processes funds collected, provides financial reports to the Board, and works closely with the President, Board, and membership. Duties include invoicing members, depositing checks, working with the accounting firm, and approving invoices. This is a big club commitment!
Did you know Rotary supports character education in schools? The Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest asks students to select their own “Law of Life” and write about how it has applied to their lives. In doing so, students reflect deeply and write from the heart about what they think matters most. The contest celebrates the students’ stories and their often profound reflections, and offers significant cash awards to students and teachers.
Want to get involved? We need:
A CLUB COORDINATOR to be the point person with Decatur High School. Duties involve communicating with a DHS teacher about the program and deadlines.
ESSAY JUDGES to read and score essays in February 2026. Teams of three are assigned approximately 48 essays to read and score. Scoring takes approximately 5 to 7 hours; judges have a week to read and score. A virtual team meeting is held to discuss and select School-Level winners and Honorable Mentions.
As a judge, you will see how core values – such as generosity, courage, compassion, perseverance and grit – are experienced by a younger generation.
Doug Robinson announced the dates for our annual MLK service project: January 17-19, 2026. Everyone is invited to participate. We will team up to do home repairs and painting for some elderly residents in the Decatur community. Doug has emailed everyone a link to register – be sure to sign up for a shift or two!
. . . . . Rotarians in the WILD
Alison, Art, and Kelly were spotted on the upstairs patio at Grindhouse.
. . . . . Milestones | November
Club Anniversaries
Eric Lucas, 38 years
Walt Drake, 35 years
William Harshman, 35 years
Dave Jollay, 32 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Joe Kusmik, 30 years
Rick Garnitz, 28 years
Noel Maloof, 11 years
Noel Maloof, Nov. 4
Marvin Fralish, Nov. 6
Bob Wilson, Nov. 10
Dana Rickman, Nov. 24
Bedros Sharian Jr., Nov. 25
Robert Brown, Nov. 28
Jamaal Ellis, Nov. 29
Friday | November 14
Last week, our scheduled speaker unfortunately was sick with COVID. President Alison assembled an impromptu panel for a Q&A-style classification talk. Al Adams, Kalia Morrison, Dud Larus, and Genevieve Hampton spoke about their professional backgrounds and more.
In honor of Veterans Day, Al Adams recognized and thanked veterans for their service.
Be sure to participate in our food and coat drives, our holiday basket raffle, and our squares game! Also, look out for emails from Doug Robinson about how to sign up for the MLK service project in January.
We had many visitors again last week:
• Max, our Rotary Exchange student from Taiwan
• Carol and David Hill, guests of John Bennett
• Bing Martinez, visiting Rotarian from our sister club in Cebu, Philippines
We hope to see you again soon!
Individuals are identified from left to right.
Left: Tim Martin gave the invocation, after a reflection on the “passing” of the penny; right: Al Adams catches up with Adam Laverack. Nice to see you, Adam!
Bob announces the next round of Squares . . .
. . . Dudley and Jamaal are ready to play!
President Alison exchanges club flags with Max. His home club is in Taipei.
Walt Drake and Bob Wilson compare notes
Left: Jason had good news to share! Genevieve always has fun at lunch!
Thank You to Our Club Sponsors
We are grateful for the support of our local sponsors, and we encourage our members to support them in return.
Bob announces the next round of Squares . . . 
. . . Dudley and Jamaal are ready to play!
President Alison exchanges club flags with Max. His home club is in Taipei.
Walt Drake and Bob Wilson compare notes
Left: Jason had good news to share! Genevieve always has fun at lunch!
