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Lunch Meeting Friday, Dec. 5
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
Thirsty Thursday Dec. 4
Parker’s on Ponce 116 E Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur 30030
5:30 to 7 pm
Bring a buddy! Continue the holiday spirit with the Decatur Christmas tree lighting just across the street on the lawn of the Historic Courthouse at 7 pm. Santa himself will be there to flip the switch!
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
. . . . .
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 12 Meeting Speaker Neal Freeman
Competitive Social Ventures
. . . . .
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 19 Meeting Speaker Dr. Robert Franklin
Candler School of Theology, Emory U.
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FRIDAY
DECEMBER 26 NO MEETING Happy Holidays!
. . . . . SAVE THE DATE: MLK Jr. Service Project
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!
. . . . .
FUNDRAISER:
Holiday Gift Raffle–A Basket of Cheer
Donate a bottle of spirits or wine, festive snacks, or other celebratory items, and we will raffle the basket in December.
Bring items this week. Thank you!
. . . . .
Your Club Needs You!
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!
Thanks to all who donated coats during the coat drive. Maria Alvarez delivered the clothing to Frontline Response. Thanks, Maria!
. . . . . PROGRAM:
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.
Bob Ettensohn and Doug Park, seen at the Chili Nelson Oakhurst 2025 Tour
Maria Alvarez and Jack Kirivong at Roaring Social
. . . . . Milestones | December
Club Anniversaries
Judy Turner, 35 years
Al Adams, Al 28 years
David Hughes, 24 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Elliott Augustine, 19 years
Pete Pfeiffer, 17 years
Dud Larus, 4 years
Delores Crowell, Dec. 4
Elizabeth Sullivan, Dec. 6
Tim Martin, Dec. 12
Dan Coursey, Dec. 18
Friday | November 21
Last week, we honored Bedros Sharian Jr., a Decatur Rotary member for 49 years, as he celebrated his 100th birthday on November 25. Walt Drake spoke to the club about Mr. Sharian’s life and the family business, Sharian Rugs, which is the oldest business in Decatur. Mr. Sharian Sr., an Armenian refugee from Turkey, established Sharian Rugs in 1931.
City Manager Andrea Arnold read a proclamation from Mayor Patti Garrett, declaring “Bedros Sharian Jr. Day” on November 25.
We had many visitors last week:
Three generations of Sharian family members, guests of Walt Drake
Scotty Candler, guest of Bob Wilson
Ken Thomas and Tricia Drake, guests of Walt Drake
Marianne Adams, guest of Tom Adams
David Hill, guest of John Bennett
Gayle K. Watts, visiting Rotarian from Negril, Jamaica
Bing Martinez, visiting Rotarian from our sister club in Cebu, Philippines
Cynthia Edwards, District Governor-Elect
We hope to see you again soon!
Individuals are identified from left to right.
Left: Bedros Sharian’s family joined him for his 100th birthday celebration. Right: Andrea Arnold shares the mayor’s proclamation with Bedros.
Bedros thanked DGE Cynthia Edwards for joining the celebration
Walt Drake spoke about the history of the Sharian family and the Sharian business in Decatur
President Alison listens to Bedros, a great storyteller!
Dave Jollay and Alan Dishman catch up
Gymiah Whitaker and Bob Wilson talk shop
John Bennett regales Scotty Candler, with Tricia Drake and Ken Thomas
Pat Walsh, Pete Pfeiffer, and all of us were glad to see Jimmy Smith last week!
Left: Gayle Watts, visiting Rotarian from Jamaica, told us about the extreme need in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Right: Elizabeth Maloff won the spirits raffle. Congrats, Elizabeth!
Bedros thanked DGE Cynthia Edwards for joining the celebration
Walt Drake spoke about the history of the Sharian family and the Sharian business in Decatur
President Alison listens to Bedros, a great storyteller!
Dave Jollay and Alan Dishman catch up
Gymiah Whitaker and Bob Wilson talk shop
John Bennett regales Scotty Candler, with Tricia Drake and Ken Thomas
Pat Walsh, Pete Pfeiffer, and all of us were glad to see Jimmy Smith last week!
Left: 
