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Lunch Meeting Friday, Sept. 26 Historic DeKalb County Courthouse 101 E. Court Square
Weekly luncheon meetings begin at 12:15 pm
on Fridays unless otherwise noted.
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THURSDAY
OCTOBER 2 Thirsty Thursday Twain's
211 E. Trinity Pl. Decatur 30030
5:30-7 pm
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FRIDAY
OCTOBER 3 Meeting Speaker Dr. Paul Welty
Emory Professor, AI (Returning to finish his Aug. 15 presentation)
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FRIDAY
OCTOBER 10 Meeting Speaker Salome Baslandze
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank
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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.
. . . . . Volunteer for Be THE Voice Program at DHS
At last week’s meeting, Marion Curry announced that our club will participate in Be THE Voice, an anti-bullying program, again during this school year. We need volunteers to join us on Oct. 6 to hand out swag and enjoy lunch with DHS students. Let Marion know if you can help!
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Register Now for 2026 District Conference
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
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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.
Adult beverages on the front porch with Doug Tozzi, Jason Conn, Dan DeWoskin, and Will Rountree.
Dear members: Have you encountered a Rotarian in the wild? Snap a quick photo and send it to Kelly or Art and we'll share it here!
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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 19
Last week, TES Stewart (left) gave the invocation and encouraged us to think of ubuntu, an African word that refers to our connection to one another. It means to approach others with a sense of understanding and peace, as we are one. If hate can be taught, so can peace.
This year’s Decatur Rotary exchange student, Max Lee (above, right) from Taiwan, introduced himself to the club with a presentation about his hometown of Taipei, his family, and his deep love of music.
Harl Pike introduced our speaker, Versonya DuPont, a leadership coach. She spoke about leading through conflict, and among the insights she offered was the observation that we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions, but judge others by their actions.
Visitors included:
Genevieve Hampton, guest of the club
Max Lee, RYE student and guest of John Bennett
Ellaway Amiker, guest of Lawrence Sharp
Joe and Marnie Pittman, RYE host family and guests of John Bennett
We hope to see you again soon!
Individuals are identified from left to right.
Doug Park and exchange student Max get ready for the meeting
Harl Pike and Doug Robinson share a laugh
John Bennett did a great job filling in for President Alison. And our speaker was thrilled by our library book donation!
Genevieve Hampton is ready to move from guest to member
Bryan Markowitz was our raffle winner. Congrats, Bryan!
OVERVIEW
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.
Harl Pike and Doug Robinson share a laugh
John Bennett did a great job filling in for President Alison. And our speaker was thrilled by our library book donation!
Genevieve Hampton is ready to move from guest to member
Bryan Markowitz was our raffle winner. Congrats, Bryan!
