August 14 Bulletin (Aug. 13, 2024)

NEWSLETTER | August 14, 2024

Lunch Meeting

Friday, August 16 | 12:15 pm

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Historic DeKalb Courthouse
101 E. Court Sq. Decatur 30030

OUR SPEAKER
Thomas E. Brown
U.S. Marshal and Author

The Honorable Thomas E. Brown is the United States Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia. President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as U.S. marshal in 2022. In this role he oversees federal judiciary protection, federal fugitive apprehension, seized asset management, federal prisoner housing and transportation, and Witness Security Program operation.

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Greeters this week: Jamaal Ellis and Alison Weissinger

Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.

. . . . .
FRIDAY
AUGUST
23
Meeting/Speaker:

Maurice Kenner

Public Defender, Atlanta Judicial Circuit (Fulton Co.)

. . . . .
FRIDAY
AUGUST
30
No Meeting

Enjoy the
Labor Day holiday!

. . . . .
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER
5
Thirsty Thursday

Grindhouse Killer Burgers

Decatur | 5:30-7 pm

Announcements

Service Project: Atlanta Free Fridge

Maria Alvarez reminded us that we have begun sharing our leftover food from lunch with a local food pantry. Each week, we need someone to drive the food over to North Decatur Presbyterian Church, where a Free Fridge is located. It’s just 1.5 miles from the courthouse, at 611 Medlock Rd., Decatur, 30033. Contact Maria to help.

. . . . .
Public Outreach
Facebook focus! Art Rosser asked members who use Facebook to follow Decatur Rotary and to like, repost, or otherwise engage with Rotary posts through personal and professional accounts. He also suggested members could print out a recent newsletter and give it to someone who might be interested in coming to a meeting.

. . . . .
Field Trip to Atlanta Rotary Club, August 19
Jason Conn will organize a small group to ride MARTA to the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta to attend the Atlanta Rotary Club meeting on Monday, August 19 at noon (networking/socializing begins 11:30). Their club said they could accommodate up to 10 of us, so check with Jason if you would like to join the crew. If you can’t make it, expect a report about what this club (much larger than ours) does during their time together and any ideas we might adopt.

. . . . .
Decatur Rotary service project: packing lunches at Rise Against Hunger

Rise Against Hunger Service Project packs 14,000 meals

With volunteers from Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur Rotary and the Decatur/DeKalb Community, more than 100 volunteers teamed together to pack 14,000 meals to be distributed worldwide. These meals contain soy, rice, vitamins and freeze-dried vegetables and are often the only food some children have for a day. Rise Against Hunger is a close partner with Rotary International, and they urged the Decatur club to consider doing a service project with them this year.

. . . . .

Decatur Rotary Foundation Fundraising Off to Fast Start

Receives $5K from DeKalb County CEO-Elect Lorraine Cochran-Johnson

DeKalb County CEO-Elect Lorraine Cochran-Johnson with Club Administrator Gloria Kusmik

Thanks to a check for $5,000 received this week from the DeKalb County Commissioners’ Office, fundraising for the Decatur Rotary Foundation is off to a great start. Fundraising Committee Chair Alison Weissinger has set an aggressive goal of $50K for 2024-2025. If you have fundraising experience or would like to help the Fundraising Committee, please contact Alison.

. . . . .
Polio Plus: Join Us on the Last Mile to End Polio

Mary Ann Cathopoulis

Our member Mary Ann Cathopoulis is urging us to join her efforts to lead the Decatur club to be a Polio Warrior. She reminds us that World Polio Day is October 24, 2024, and the club needs to be planning for this date. Stay tuned!

FRIDAY, AUG. 9 | 2024

Birthdays
Desiree Peagler, Aug. 3
William Harshman, Aug. 13
Dave Jollay, Aug. 15

Membership Anniversaries

Tom Adams, 45 years
John Bennett, 18 years
Laura Brookshire, 1 year
Marion Curry, 2 years
Doug Park, 10 years
Desiree Peagler, 18 years
Donna Phillips, 2 years

. . . . .

August 9 Meeting Recap

Guests this Week
Angela Threadgill, Decatur’s assistant city manager for community and economic development, and Tes (who prefers one name), a local management consultant, joined us for our lunch program.

Guest Angela Threadgill chats with Andrea Arnold and Alison Weissinger before lunch.

Club Secretary Eric Lucas gave the invocation.

. . . . .

Business Profile:
Salvation Army Captain Jamaal Ellis on the Peachcrest Command

Captain and Corps Officer Jamaal Ellis leads the Salvation Army Peachcrest Corps in Decatur. Jamaal and his team have numerous ways to serve those in need and provide assistance to vulnerable populations. They operate a food pantry, provide emergency services (such as rent payment assistance), and partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs to provide youth programming. The Peachcrest Boys & Girls Club is a key emphasis for Jamaal, as it provides a supportive and nurturing environment where children and teenagers can learn, grow, and develop into responsible and caring adults.

To make a donation, contact Jamaal at jamaal.Ellis@uss.salvationarmy.org.

. . . . .
Andrew Keenen of Callanwolde Spoke at the Meeting

Herb McCoy introduced our luncheon speaker, Andrew Keenen (left).

Andrew Keenan joined Callanwolde Fine Arts Center as executive director in 2017 after serving on the Board of Directors for 12 years. Andrew shared some of the history behind Callanwolde, which was the residence of the Candler-Glenn family from 1920 until 1959. He spoke about the many connections that Callanwolde has with Decatur, Emory, and Coca-Cola, and noted that in the early 1970s the DeKalb County CEO agreed to purchase the property in order to save it from demolition or redevelopment.

Today, Callanwolde offers a multitude of art classes (including pottery, blacksmithing, weaving), workshops, and programs, along with dance instruction and jazz performances for the public. Recently, the center has focused on attracting and welcoming nontraditional guests. They offer an Art Scholars program for Title I students, an Expressions program for recent immigrants and refugees, and special programs for military veterans, low-income seniors, and adults born with special needs.

With funds from a $10.5 million capital campaign, Callanwolde will construct two new buildings. About 84% of funding has been raised to-date. Popular “Jazz on the Lawn” concerts begin in August and go through October.

Speaker Andrew Keenan was thrilled by the book that club President Dudley Larus presented as the club’s weekly donation to the DeKalb Public Library in honor of each speaker.