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Lunch Meeting Friday, Nov. 14 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
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
. . . . .
FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 21 Program Happy 100th Birthday,
Bedros Sharian, Jr.!
🎂 🎉 🥳 😘
. . . . .
FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 28 No Meeting
Happy Thanksgiving!
Bring canned goods to our meetings, starting this week, to help meet the need in our community. Items will go to DEAM (Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry).
Most needed in November:
Applesauce cups
Baked beans
Bar soap
Canned beef stew
Canned chicken
Canned chilli
Canned fruit
Canned soup
Canned tuna
Canned veggies (mixed veggies, carrots, peas)
Cereal
Collard greens
Cooking oil
Corn muffin mix
Jelly
Pasta
Pasta sauce
Peanut butter
crackers
Saltine crackers
Toilet paper
White rice
Yellow rice
Laundry detergent* (powdered or pods)
Razors
Reusable cloth bags
Small paper bags, paper grocery bags
Toiletries, travel size
Tuna packets 2.6 oz
White rice 1 lb bag
Yellow rice 1 lb bag
Winter needs:
Jackets
Blankets
Gloves
Hats
Hand sanitizer
Tissues, small packs
*Economy-sized boxes of these are most welcome.
. . . . .
Holiday Gift Raffle – A Basket of Cheer
Dud Larus is coordinating a raffle for a holiday gift basket. Donate a bottle of spirits or wine, festive snacks, or other celebratory items, and we will raffle the basket in December.
Bring your items to our meeting, and we will collect them. Thank you!
. . . . . SERVICE PROJECT: November Coat Drive
Bring coats for men, women, children to our Friday meetings in November. Maria Alvarez will deliver all coats to Frontline Response, a nonprofit that fights sex trafficking and homelessness.
Thank you!
. . . . . SERVICE PROJECT:
Christmas Tree Sale – Volunteers Needed
Offering premium Frasier firs ranging from 5 ft. to 10 ft. as well as handmade wreaths and swags, the annual First Christian Church of Decatur Christmas tree sale is a friend- and fundraiser for our community. It’s also a nice way to honor our friend James Brewer-Calvert’s memory.
Trees arrive for unloading on November 23, and there’s lots to do!
We've got one last key role to fill. Please check out this important opportunity 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!
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.
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!
. . . . . Rotarians in the WILD
Last month, Eric Lucas visited the Rotary Club Athinai-Lycavittos in Athens, Greece. Eric says he “experienced generous hospitality during an entertaining dinner evening. DG Stefanos Anastasopoulos and PAG Rachel Topalidou made speeches which were enthusiastically received by the members (but it was all Greek to me). Club president Paschalis Gogos and I exchanged club banners with sincere thanks and expressions of friendship.”
. . . . . Milestones | November
Club Anniversaries
Eric Lucas, 38 years
Walt Drake, 35 years
William Harshman, 35 years
Dave Jollay, 32 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Joe Kusmik, 30 years
Rick Garnitz, 28 years
Noel Maloof, 11 years
Noel Maloof, Nov. 4
Marvin Fralish, Nov. 6
Bob Wilson, Nov. 10
Dana Rickman, Nov. 24
Bedros Sharian Jr., Nov. 25
Robert Brown, Nov. 28
Jamaal Ellis, Nov. 29
Friday | November 7
Herb (left) and speaker Daviorr Snipes
Last week, Herb McCoy introduced our lunch speaker, Daviorr Snipes, the director of community and internal engagement at the Alliance Theatre. Daviorr spoke about the Alliance’s commitment to engage various communities in Atlanta, and how participating in and learning about the arts has a tangible, measurable impact – a social benefit.
Dud Larus reintroduced the lunchtime “good news jar.” Place $1 or more in the jar, and you can share some good news with club members!
Be sure to participate in our food and coat drives, our holiday basket raffle, and our squares game! Also, look out for emails from Doug Robinson about how to sign up for the MLK service project in January.
We had many visitors again last week:
• Andrew Barrow, guest of Herb McCoy
• Barry Snyder, guest of Genevieve Hampton
• Chandler Williams, guest of Lawrence Sharp
• Dr. Ashlee Wood, guest of Misty Palmer
• Jonathan Stelling, visiting Rotarian from North Fulton
• Bing Martinez, visiting Rotarian from our sister club in Cebu, Philippines
We hope to see you again soon!
Individuals are identified from left to right.
David Ewing warmly greeted all, including Stacey Stevens
Left: Dan DeWoskin does his part for the food drive. Right: Our friend Bing Martinez updated us on the recent natural disasters in Cebu, Philippines. The Cebu club is providing emergency relief for many families – up to 129K people have been displaced.
Steve Szeremeta shares good news!
Kalia Morrison and Willie Acree catch up.
Folks line up to claim their square before the UGA – Ga Tech game!
Andrea Arnold passed Alison’s 5-question quiz!
. . . . .
November Thirsty Thursday at Roaring Social
Kelly Caudle, Bob Ettensohn, and Dud Larus check out the new place.
Doug Park and Elizabeth Sullivan discuss the law.
John and Holly Bennett enjoy cocktails with President Alison.
Our friends from the neighborhood brought ‘20s style. Look for the Rotarian photo bomber!
Left: 
Steve Szeremeta shares good news!
