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Lunch Meeting Friday, Oct. 10 Historic DeKalb County Courthouse 101 E. Court Square
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
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FRIDAY
OCTOBER 17 Meeting Speaker Leocadia I. Zak
President, Agnes Scott College
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FRIDAY
OCTOBER 24 WORLD POLIO DAY Meeting Speaker Tanjuria Willis Sustainable Fashion Week Atlanta
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FRIDAY
OCTOBER 31 Meeting Speaker Robert Boyd Atlanta Cancer Cares Foundation
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Welcome to Our Newest Member
Last week, we inducted our newest club member, Genevieve Hampton. She is a real estate agent for Agape and Associates. Please say hello and introduce yourself to her!
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State of the Schools
On Friday, October 10, Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, Superintendent of City Schools of Decatur, will present the second annual State of the Schools address at the Decatur Conference Center, 130 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA 30030, starting at 9 a.m.
In her address, Dr. Whitaker will provide highlights from her first two years as superintendent, focusing on the progress and opportunities related to the district's five-year strategic plan, "All In Decatur." This plan prioritizes student success across all areas, fostering an engaging and inclusive culture, attracting and retaining high-quality educators, and promoting organizational effectiveness and excellence.
The program will also feature student performances and remarks from Dr. Carmen Sutton, Chair of the Board of Education, and Meagan Berardi, Executive Director of the Decatur Education Foundation.
Dr. Whitaker invites members of Decatur Rotary to attend.
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COMMUNITY INVITATION: Socialize with DHS PTSA at The Imperial
Decatur Rotarians are invited to head over to The Imperial, 726 W. College Ave. on October 17, 5-7 pm for a social time hosted by Decatur High School’s PTSA.
Thanks to club member and PTSA co-president Jack Kirivong for sharing the notice.
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Your Club Needs You!
Check out these opportunities for club service:
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!
Greeter Scheduler | We need someone to handle scheduling our weekly meeting greeters from October through next June. Duties are to secure volunteers, send weekly reminders, and communicate about such logistics as where to place our meeting sign, etc.
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 3 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. Stay tuned for more info!
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Rotarians in the WILD!
Al Adams and Jason Conn, seen with their spouses, bumped into each other at Heathrow Airport!
. . . . . Milestones | October
Club Anniversaries
Linton Broome, 55 years
Lawrence Sharp, 32 years
Brenda Leder, 28 years
Delores Crowell, 21 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Todd Speed, 18 years
Tim Martin, 18 years
Maria Alvarez, 3 years
Doug Park, October 4
Nedra White-Shaw, October 6
Jennifer Topple, October 10
Judy Turner, October 28
Rick Garnitz, October 29
Doug Tozzi, October 29
Friday | October 3
Dr. Paul J. Welty speaks to the club
Returning to the club to give his full presentation, Dr. Paul J. Welty, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at Emory University, spoke about AI and its potential to contribute positively to the education field. Some benefits include adaptive pacing (an AI tool can go faster or slower, according to the student’s needs), mistake analysis (AI could understand why a student is struggling), availability (AI can work with a student at 3 am). Concerns include the need for human connection, digital divides, and lack of clarity around privacy policies.
Welty recommended the book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick.
Our visitor was former club member and past president Clark Candler, guest of Walt Drake. We hope to see you again soon!
Individuals are identified from left to right.
Carl answering the 5 Questions quiz
Andrea Arnold and Bob Wilson catch up before lunch
Great food and good fellowship
Former club member and past president Clark Candler. Nice to see you.
New member Genevieve Hampton (second from left), was inducted by Nedra White-Shaw, Kelly Caudle, and Alison Weissinger
OVERVIEW
Last week, we inducted our newest club member, Genevieve Hampton. She is a real estate agent for Agape and Associates. Please say hello and introduce yourself to her!
On Friday, October 10, Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, Superintendent of City Schools of Decatur, will present the second annual State of the Schools address at the Decatur Conference Center, 130 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA 30030, starting at 9 a.m.
Decatur Rotarians are invited to head over to 
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.
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. Stay tuned for more info!
