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Lunch Meeting Friday, Sept. 19 Historic DeKalb County Courthouse 101 E. Court Square
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
. . . . . FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 26 Meeting Program RYLA Experience, New Members
Classification Talks
. . . . . THURSDAY
OCTOBER 2 Thirsty Thursday Twain's
211 E. Trinity Pl. Decatur 30030
5:30-7 pm
. . . . . THURSDAY
OCTOBER 3 Meeting Speaker Dr. Paul Welty
Emory Professor, AI (Returning to finish his Aug. 15 presentation)
. . . . .
Your Club Needs You!
Check out these opportunities for club service:
Club Secretary-in-Training | Because Eric starts the President-elect training soon, we need to identify someone to assume this important club role that serves as the focal point for communication for the membership and Board. Duties include such tasks as maintaining Board records, answering email inquiries about the club, sending communications to club members as needed, and coordinating with membership directors on new and existing members.
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.
Join us for an unforgettable 2026 District Conference as we celebrate the incredible 2025-2026 Rotary Year under District Governor Steve! We’re excited to announce that we’re moving the conference to the beautiful Lake Lanier Islands Resort this year — offering a fresh, fun setting for fellowship, inspiration, and celebration. We can’t wait to see everyone there! We have made special arrangements for some fun outings Friday morning, including a scenic boat cruise, pickleball, nature walk, golf, and more.
Details: 2026 District Conference
April 16-19, 2026
Lake Lanier Islands, GA
. . . . .
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 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.
Representatives from all the Rotary clubs in DeKalb County meet monthly as the DeKalb Rotary Council. At the September 8 meeting, the council voted to sponsor the Salvation Army Atlanta Peachcrest Corps' Legacy Dinner as a Gold Sponsor with a $2,500 gift. The Legacy event celebrates 50 years of Faith, Service, and Hope, as well as the great work at the Peachcrest location in DeKalb County. Our own Decatur Rotary member Captain Jamaal Ellis, Peachcrest officer and Administrator, attended the council meeting and spoke about the fantastic work that the Peachcrest Corps is doing in DeKalb County around the Towers High School area. All the clubs in DeKalb County contributed to this award with their dues support.
Congrats, Jamaal!
. . . . .
Milestones | September
Club Anniversaries
Marvin Fralish, 36 years
Bryan Downs, 29 years
Barbara Tedrow, 25 years
Chet Burge, 11 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Leo Ladefian, 8 years
Kelly Caudle, 6 years
Adam Laverack, 2 years
TES Stewart, 1 year
Dan DeWoskin, September 1
Andrea Arnold, September 2
Gyimah Whitaker, September 3
James Smith, September 8
Jason Conn, September 8
Shara Sanders, September 8
Vee Nelson, September 18
DeAnna Julian, September 21
Eric Lucas, September 22
Stacey Stevens, September 22
Friday | September 12
Our speaker last week was George Dusenbury, who serves as Georgia state director at the Trust for Public Land. A major goal is for everyone to have a park within a 10-minute walk from home. Parks and access to the outdoors is a fundamental human need, resulting in lower rates of depression and diabetes; improvements in climate and community; and greater equity, as access is not based on wealth. He shared data about the success and impact of the Beltline “Emerald Necklace,” a $900 million investment that has attracted $9 billion. Dusenbury described the many opportunities to expand and build on their work:
Fallow Properties, such as floodplains, utility corridors, landfills: Identify and activate underutilized land for parks and trails
The Great Parks Approach: Connect parks and public spaces to create a cohesive and comprehensive system across entire metro area
Leverage Existing Public Land: Water Department, Schoolyards, Public Housing, State Transportation
OVERVIEW
Maria Alvarez, Al Adams, and Doug Tozzi check out the new fundraising game!!
George Dusenbury fields a question from Tom Adams
Leo Ladefian takes Alison’s 5 Questions quiz
Lawrence Sharp (L) and Nick Villaume (R) help put away our meeting equipment
Todd Speed and his son catch up with Mayor Patti Garrett
Jack Kirivong and Elliott Augustine get acquainted
