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Meeting Friday, July 17
Historic DeKalb County Courthouse
101 E. Court Square | 12:15 pm
• • • • •
OUR SPEAKER THIS WEEK
Linda Gail Fashion Designer
The owner of Linda Gail Fashion, Linda Gail is a designer with her own line of special occasion dresses for women and girls. She received a degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Linda has premiered her collections with several productions in Atlanta, as well as at Los Angeles and New York Fashion Weeks. She has also participated in many gift shows, including the Ohio Kidney Foundation, and has donated her elegant women and girls’ accessories to silent auction fundraisers for the Princeton Ballet, the Atlanta Ballet, and the National Black Arts Festival.
She was born into a family of artists in Oberlin, Ohio, and has a daughter and son.
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
Friday
July
24 MEETING SPEAKER Louie Northern
Ascend Aerials
Friday
July
31 MEETING SPEAKER Jim Logan
Author, Just Keep Tri-ing
Be sure to save Saturday, August 8, 2026, as the date to participate in the FODAC home medical equipment drive. Join Decatur Rotary Club members, along with other clubs in DeKalb County, in picking up donated equipment and organizing donations.
The event begins with breakfast and networking at 8:30 am on the back patio of the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant. Volunteers will leave in their groups to collect equipment and return to the 57th to unload the collected medical equipment. Volunteers should be finished between 1-2 pm.
This event is being sponsored by the North Atlanta Rotary Club along with the DeKalb Rotary Council. Please contact Ralph Sims of the North Atlanta Rotary Club at 770-778-1907 or ralphdsims@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to volunteer.
Details:
📍 57th Fighter Group Restaurant, 3829 Clairmont Rd.
Chamblee, GA 30341
📅 Saturday, August 8, 8:30 am-2 pm
. . . . . SAVE THE DATE!
Fall Fundraiser Set for Thursday, Oct. 22
Mark your calendar and stay tuned for more details about what is certain to be a fun event!
. . . . . Milestones: July
Birthdays
James Herndon, July 2
Harl Pike, July 4
Linton Broome, July 6
Leo Ladefian, July 7
Tim Moore, July 8
Walt Drake, July 10
Barbara Tedrow, July 17
Joe Kusmik, July 17
Jack Kirivong, July 19
John Bennett, July 21
Bryan Markowitz, July 22
Marion Curry, July 27
Al Adams, July 30
Club Anniversaries
James Smith, 43 years
Carl Seville, 17 years
John Drake, 17 years
Alison Weissinger, 13 years
Douglas Tozzi,12 years
Gyimah Whitaker, 3 years
Willie Acree, 1 year
Jack Kirivong, 1 year
Friday, July 10: Meeting Recap
This was the first Decatur Rotary Club meeting with Eric Lucas presiding. Welcome, Eric, as our new club president.
From left: President Eric; invocation by Shara Sanders; call for volunteers by Nick Villaume.
Eric served as the meeting facilitator and welcomed guests including:
Elsa Cayce, guest of Andrea Arnold.
Jim Topple, honored guest and former club member, guest of Jennifer Topple
Jon Clements, guest of Will Rountree
Robin Hollis, guest of Art Rosser
Jerry Brillante, prospective member
Araba Powell, President-Elect of Midtown Atlanta Rotary
Kim Hatchens
Perry Smith
Jareo Safran
The meeting began with Shara Sanders delivering a sports-themed invocation inspired by recent global sporting events including FIFA, Wimbledon, and the Tour de France, emphasizing values like teamwork, integrity, and perseverance.
Club Meeting Setup Volunteers Needed
Nick Villaume announced a need for volunteers to handle the club meeting setup due to Luis taking a sabbatical from club activities.
Interested members: Contact Nick to volunteer for the Sargent Initiative setup, receive training, and be added to the schedule.
New Fundraising Opportunity
Jack Kirivong then announced upcoming fundraising activities, including the Caliber Car Wash Fundraiser, a partnership that will donate 50% of proceeds to benefit the club.
All members: Share the Caliber Car Wash fundraiser flyer with family, friends, neighbors, community leaders, and schools to promote the event.
Visit the carwash at 3644 Memorial Dr., Decatur, GA 30032, and use the code "Rotary Club" with carwash staff to receive credit.
From left: Jack Kirivong announces a new carwash fundraiser; Nedra White-Shaw announces our speaker, Candace Bazemore (right), as Maria Alvarez looks on.
Guest Speaker: Candace Bazemore
The highlight of the meeting was a presentation by guest speaker Candace Bazemore, who shared her mantra "do what you love" and discussed building careers through storytelling, creativity, community, and service.
Candace presented on building careers through storytelling, creativity, and community, emphasizing that people can monetize their expertise rather than giving it away for free. She shared personal examples from her work at Morehouse College and her experience with nonprofit service, including how service opportunities led to unexpected career connections, including becoming an honorary citizen of Liberia. Candance outlined four forces of meaningful work: story, creativity, community, and service, explaining how these elements intersect to create new career opportunities.
President Eric Lucas presents our speaker, Candace Bazemore, with a copy of her book, From Side Hustle to Millionaire, which will be donated to Decatur Library in her honor.
Individuals are identified from left to right.
'Scene' at Decatur WatchFest
With Thirsty Thursday on a soccer hiatus, Decatur Rotarians convened on the Decatur Square during WatchFest recently for some socializing and soccer screenings.
Good news – Thirsty Thursday returns Aug. 6!
At right: Luis Abularach and John Bennett selfie it up on the Square
Pete Pfeiffer and Past President Alison
Tom Adams, Pete Pfeiffer, Lawrence Sharp and Bob Ettensohn
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.
OUR SPEAKER THIS WEEK
Jack Kirivong then announced upcoming fundraising activities, including the Caliber Car Wash Fundraiser, a partnership that will donate 50% of proceeds to benefit the club. 
