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William Patrick Bryant
City Manager,
City of Avondale Estates, GA
For the past six years, William Patrick Bryant has been city manager of Avondale Estates. Previously, he served as city manager of Talladega, Alabama. His background is in smart growth initiatives, and he has led the recent downtown development of Avondale Estates, including the Town Green project.
Greeters: Bob Wilson and Andrea Arnold
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
. . . . .
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 13
SPEAKER
Jay Arnold
Atlanta Food Bank
. . . . .
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 20
SPEAKER
Dr. Robert M. Franklin Jr.
Candler School of Theology / Emory
. . . . .
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 27
No Meeting
Happy New Year!
Thirsty Thursday Is Dec. 5 at Brickstore Pub
125 E. Court Square | Downtown Decatur [MAP] | website
Join us 5:30 pm to 7 pm for fellowship, beverages and fun!
. . . . . Service Project Opportunities
in December and January
Sign up for a project, and enlist a couple of friends to help, too. Let’s work together to support our community!
SERVICE SIGN UPS
MLK Sign up for Shifts:sign up HERE
Home and yard maintenance and repair for elderly residents
Help Setup Rotary Meetings: sign up HERE
Setup for the weekly meeting and breakdown afterward
Food Donation:sign up HERE
Drive leftover lunch food to shelter on Church St., 1.5 mi from courthouse
Rotarians, please look into your closets and donate coats that you haven't worn in a while to help people in need. We will be collecting coats at our meetings for two weeks starting on December 6. Any size coat is acceptable, but XL–3XL are especially needed. Threshold supports individuals who are experiencing homelessness and other effects of poverty.
. . . . . Be a Salvation Army (Rotary) Bell Ringer This Holiday Season
Decatur Rotary is turning out to help the Salvation Army and our member Captain Jamaal Ellis.
WHEN: Saturday, Dec 14 WHERE: Kroger, 2875 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA 30033
Thanks to all who signed up. Remember to wear your Rotary swag for your shift!
. . . . .
Milestones
Club Anniversaries
Judy Turner, 34 years
Al Adams, 27 years
David Hughes, 23 years
December Birthdays
Elliot Augustine, 18 years
Pete Pfeiffer, 16 years
Dud Larus, 3 years
Delores Crowell, Dec. 4
Brian Deutsch, Dec. 6
Tim Martin, Dec. 12
Dan Coursey, Dec. 18
Kris Webb, Dec. 21
Mary Ann Cathopoulis, Dec. 25
FRIDAY | JANUARY 31, 2025
Harl Pike gave the invocation. Tim Martin (right) reminded everyone that this week’s special program starts early: hosts for STAR program guests should arrive at 11:30, and lunch will be served at 11:45. Doug Robinson (above, left), house captain for our MLK service project, reported that inclement weather prevented us from completing the finishing touches. He’s looking for three consecutive good-weather days for us to return to the home and complete the painting job. Stay tuned for those make-up days.
Wondering where some of our club members are? Are you missing having conversations with anyone? If you notice someone hasn’t been attending meetings, take the initiative and call or email them (use our handy Club Runner directory). Make sure our members know that we care, and we want to see them at lunch. Let’s take care of our Rotary Club community!
Maria Alvarez reached out to Mary Ann Cathopoulis, who has been recuperating from illness. Eric Lucas said that he had contacted Barbara Tedrow, who has also been out because of illness.
Speaker Jon Thompson with Club President Dudley Larus
Maria Alvarez introduced speaker Jon Thompson, CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Comunidad Connect, which offers programs in Nicaragua and Dominican Republic designed to improve public health, community development and sustainability, and opportunities for young people through sports. Jon talked about how critical relationships are to his organization’s success. He said, “Real change happens at the speed of trust.”
Visitors were Nedra White-Shaw, guest of John Bennett; Candiace Williams, guest of Danielle Jones; Misty Palmer, guest of Dan DeWoskin; Jailah Zanders, guest of Lawrence Sharp; Dr. Mohamed Saleh, president of the Cairo Rhine-Nile Club in Egypt.
John Bennett gives the invocation.
Dee Raeside and Marion Curry served as greeters. John Bennett gave the invocation. Bob Wilson introduced our speaker.
Visitors included Decatur mayor Patti Garrett; Bing Martinez of our sister club in Cebu; Pat Walsh, guest of Alan Dishman; Danielle Jones, guest of Lawrence Sharp; Danya Kulyk, a student from Ukraine and guest of Todd Speed; DeAnna Julian, guest of Marion Curry; and Rachel and John Cogburn, youth exchange hosts and guests of John Bennett.
. . . . . OUR SPEAKER: Jim Skinner of Atlanta Regional Commission
Jim Skinner, a data analyst at the Atlanta Regional Commission, the official planning agency for the 11-county Atlanta region, gave a fascinating presentation on DeKalb County and the wider metro area, looking at population, transportation, and economic trends from the past several years and comparing our region with global trends.
Scenes from our most recent meeting and events. Individuals are identified from left to right.
Sign up for a project, and enlist a couple of friends to help, too. Let’s work together to support our community! 
Decatur Rotary is turning out to help the Salvation Army and our member Captain Jamaal Ellis. 
Harl Pike gave the invocation. Tim Martin (right) reminded everyone that this week’s special program starts early: hosts for STAR program guests should arrive at 11:30, and lunch will be served at 11:45. Doug Robinson (above, left), house captain for our MLK service project, reported that inclement weather prevented us from completing the finishing touches. He’s looking for three consecutive good-weather days for us to return to the home and complete the painting job. Stay tuned for those make-up days. 
Speaker Jon Thompson with Club President Dudley Larus
John Bennett gives the invocation.
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