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The Ansley School in Atlanta serves children who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness. Its head of school, Ray James, is a critically conscious and outcomes-driven educational leader. A native of Monroe, Louisiana, he has held various roles in schools and communities in Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Newark, including substitute teacher, graduate assistant, literacy teacher, educational policy fellow, instructional coach, education community organizer, curriculum auditor, assistant principal, adjunct professor, and educational consultant. His undergraduate and master’s degrees are from LSU (Geaux Tigers!).
GREETERS THIS WEEK
Doug Tozzi and Laura Brookshire
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
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FRIDAY
MARCH 21
SPEAKER: Sarah Junkin Woodard Jubilee House Community, Inc.
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FRIDAY
MARCH 28
SPEAKERS: Rob Johnson,
Greg White A Home For Everyone Inc.
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THURSDAY
APRIL 3
THIRSTY THURSDAY Location TBA
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FRIDAY
APRIL 4
PROGRAM: Club Meeting The Magic of Rotary
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FRIDAY
APRIL 11
SPEAKER: Dr. Victor Eboh Task Force for Global Health
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FRIDAY
APRIL 18
SPEAKER: Emily D. Holden Standup Comedian
Volunteers Needed for Be THE Voice Event March 17 Craving some school spirit? Join Danielle Jones at Decatur High School March 17, when our club hosts a pizza party for students who participate in the Be THE Voice project. Decatur Rotary received a grant to partner with the high school on this peer-led platform that inspires students to do what is right, not what is easy–by equipping them with the interpersonal skills to become a “voice” of kindness and inclusion within their schools and communities. For more details on attending, contact Danielle.
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Save the Date: DeKalb Rotary Council Awards March 21
The annual DeKalb Rotary Council Awards breakfast will honor our own John Bennett for his committed work with the Youth Exchange program. Each of the eight Rotary Clubs in DeKalb will acknowledge one of their members as well. The Teachers of the Year (hot off the recent STAR awards) will also be recognized. DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson will be the speaker for the event.
Way to go, John! Everyone is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Dudley Larus as soon as possible, if you would like to go.
When: March 21, 7 am
Where: Georgia Piedmont Technical College, 495 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021
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Fundraising Task Force
Dudley Larus is putting together a task force on fundraising to study what we have been doing and how, the effectiveness of our approach, and whether there are other things we should consider. Interested in taking part? Let Dudley know!
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Help Needed with Meeting Breakdown
Can you stay a few minutes after our meetings to break down the banners and A/V equipment? If so, please let Luis Abularach or Dudley Larus know. Luis would appreciate an extra hand or two!
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MLK Service Project Wrap-Up
Last Saturday was a beautiful day to beautify the Benton house with fresh paint and other touch-ups. Project captain Doug Robinson expertly led the motley crew with good humor. Many thanks to Doug R., Bob Ettensohn, Jason Conn, Art Rosser, and Kelly Caudle for the caulking, painting, and cementing. And thanks to Elizabeth Sullivan for the donuts!
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SAVE THE DATE: Spring Fundraiser May 1
Save the date for a fun time doing good! President-elect Alison Weissinger announced that the club’s annual fundraising event will take place at the Lost Druid Brewery on May 1. The fundraiser committee is currently seeking auction items. If you have items for the auction, contact Alison.
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Milestones | March
Club Anniversaries
George McKerrow, 35 years
Robert Brow, 30 years
Vee Nelson, 25 years
Birthdays
Jason Conn, 25 years
Alan Dishman, 19 years
Dean Crownover, 11 years
Art Rosser, March 15
Jen Schuck, March 19
Bob Ettensohn, March 24
Dean Crownover, March 25
Bryan Downs, March 26
Chet Burge, March 29
As President Dud was still traveling, past president Doug Tozzi conducted the weekly meeting. Dan DeWoskin gave the invocation.
Our Rotary Exchange student, Selma, gave a presentation about her experiences living in Decatur, attending Decatur High, and getting to travel to Florida beaches and Disney World; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. She also took road trips to visit the extended families of her host families in Virginia and New Jersey. Closer to home, she saw Columbus and Lake Burton. Selma has many friends at school, and she told us that one of her favorite things has been to attend school sporting events, particularly football games. (In Sweden, schools do not have their own sports teams.) Selma also commented on the ubiquity of plastic items, and that she will miss Chick-fil-A!
Rick Garnitz introduced our speaker, Dejah Gay, a certified financial planner with Delta Community Credit Union. She discussed retirement readiness and explained the implications of several new laws and opportunities in the financial realm, including changes to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs).
Visitors were Genevieve Hampton, guest of Nedra White-Shaw; Willie Anthony, a visiting Rotarian and past president of the South DeKalb club; Andi Monroe, guest of Maria Alvarez; Nick Villaume, guest of Jason Conn; Jennifer McMillan and Rachel and John Cogburn, host families of this year’s exchange student, Selma.
Scenes from our most recent meeting and events. Individuals are identified from left to right.
Doug Tozzi led our meeting
Alison Weissinger, Tom Adams, Doug Tozzi
Luis Abularach, John Bennett, and Herb McCoy work on AV for the meeting
Pete Pfeiffer and Pat Walsh
Selma with Kelly Caudle
TES Stewart and Danielle Jones
Jennifer McMillan, Rachel Cogburn, John Cogburn (host families for Selma this year)
The Ansley School in Atlanta serves children who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness. Its head of school, Ray James, is a critically conscious and outcomes-driven educational leader. A native of Monroe, Louisiana, he has held various roles in schools and communities in Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Newark, including substitute teacher, graduate assistant, literacy teacher, educational policy fellow, instructional coach, education community organizer, curriculum auditor, assistant principal, adjunct professor, and educational consultant. His undergraduate and master’s degrees are from LSU (Geaux Tigers!)
Craving some school spirit? Join Danielle Jones at Decatur High School March 17, when our club hosts a pizza party for students who participate in the Be THE Voice project. Decatur Rotary received a grant to partner with the high school on this peer-led platform that inspires students to do what is right, not what is easy–by equipping them with the interpersonal skills to become a “voice” of kindness and inclusion within their schools and communities. For more details on attending, contact Danielle.
Can you stay a few minutes after our meetings to break down the banners and A/V equipment? If so, please let Luis Abularach or Dudley Larus know. Luis would appreciate an extra hand or two!
Last Saturday was a beautiful day to beautify the Benton house with fresh paint and other touch-ups. Project captain Doug Robinson expertly led the motley crew with good humor. Many thanks to Doug R., Bob Ettensohn, Jason Conn, Art Rosser, and Kelly Caudle for the caulking, painting, and cementing. And thanks to Elizabeth Sullivan for the donuts!
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