Club of Rotary Conyers

This Week....Installation of 2021-2022 Officers and Directors Birthdays Bethany Lavigno Recognition of Outgoing Installations of Incoming June 20th Club Position Board Officers and Directors James F Cabe 2020-21 2021-22 July 1st President Slaughter, Scott Kabia, Moses G. Beth Andersen July 7th President-Elect Kabia, Moses G. Hutcheson, Michael Albert A. Myers III Secretary Etheredge, Sandra Etheredge, Sandra July 9th Treasurer Stanford, Bernard Stanford, Bernard Lewis J. Grace July 9th Membership Chair Bear, Wendy A. Hutchenson, Michael William T. Rogers Membership Retention Chair Forrester, Ermel E Forrester, Ernie July 10th Club Human Trafficking Chair Sistrunk, Laura Wedding Family of Rotary Benson, Dave Anniversaries GRSP Chair Myers, Al A. Jr. Andersen, Beth Laws of Life Contest Chair Digby, Daniel S. Digby, Daniel S. Michael W. Lassiter June 18th Public Image Chair Persaud, Shane Persaud, Shane Dan Morgan Rotary Foundation Chair Myers, Albert A. III Myers, Albert A. III June 22nd Sergeant-at-Arms Robinson, Wayne Robinson, Wayne Laura Sistrunk June 27th Club Fundraising Chair Evans, Vince G. Evans, Vince G. Michael Hutcheson Club Programs Chair Siebert, Shelli McCumber, Bennett E June 30th Morgan, Dan Beth Andersen Club Service Chair Jones, Martin Jones, Martin July 10th Ermel E Forrester Community Service Chair Hutcheson, Michael Siebert, Shelli July 16th International Service Chair Loois, Suchet L. Loois, Suchet L. Vocational Service Chair Macchione, Michael Macchione, Michael Years of Service Youth Services Chair Hilburn, Bryan Hilburn, Bryan iPast President Barlay, Thua G. Slaughter, Scott G. Edward L Cowan 02-01-1973 49 Years Next Week...June 24 - Installation Meeting Tommy O. Morgan 02-01-1981 41 Years William T. Rogers Upcoming Programs... 04-01-1984 38 Years Mark Chris Bowen Should you have to miss, please make-up: 04-01-1988 34 Years Make-up Locations: Bruce C. Ahlstrand 04-01-1990 Social Circle Magnolia Manor Monday Noon 32 Years Covington First Methodist Tuesday 12:15 Albert A. Myers III Rockdale Rockdale Medical Ctr. Wednesday 7:15 am 03-23-2000 Loganville IHop Restaurant Thursday 7:15 am 22 Years RotaryEClubOne.org Suchet L. Loois RockdaleEClubOfTheSouth.org 02-22-2007 15 Years Any club function including Board Meetings, Service Project, Fundraiser or Social Function also counts as a make-up, Sandra Cowan Etheredge Follow The Rotary Club of Conyers 03-01-2007 15 Years Tonya Bloodworth 03-22-2007 Facebook Rotary Club of Conyers 15 Years Wayne Robinson www.conyersrotary.org 03-29-2007 15 Years Instagram Sam Crowe 03-26-2009 13 Years Membership Roster 2020 - 2021 Thua G. Barlay 01-14-2010 First 12 Years Last Name MemberType Classification Pref. Email PData Code Participation Name Dorothy Bala Two Way PHF,B,PP,PAS 2005,ROTY 2003, ALUMNI or Ahlstrand Bruce Active-R85 [email protected] ALU 02-10-2011 Radio Industry 2010,PHFn,4106,4107 Rotary 11 Years Insurance-Life PHF,PP,PAS 2005,ROTY Andersen Beth Active [email protected] B Benefactor Wendy A. Bear & Health 2007,PHFn,4106,4107 01-12-2012 Printing PHF,BS,PP 2017-18,PAS 10 Years Bala Dorothy Active [email protected] BS Bequest Society Services 2012,ROTY 2014,4106,4107 Michael Macchione Barksdale Wales Honorary [email protected] PHF CM Charter Member 01-10-2013 9 Years Corporate- Distinguished Barlay Thua Active Attorney [email protected] PHF,B,PP 2014-15,PHFn,4106 DSA Kenneth Gaylord Service Award D6910 02-14-2013 Double 9 Years Bear Wendy Active Insurance [email protected] PHF,4106 DSM Sustaining Aubrey Hedrick Member 03-07-2013 Georgia Rotary 9 Years GRSP Student Ermel E Forrester Program(GRSP)+ 02-18-2016 Education- GRSP Hue 6 Years Bloodworth Tonya Active Director Family [email protected] PHF,4106 4107 Thomas Fellow Clarence Cuthpert Engagement Jr. 02-18-2016 GRSP Ronnie 6 Years Bowen Jimi Honorary [email protected] PHF,PP,ROTY 2006 4108 Waller Fellow Moses G. Kabia GRSP Will Watt 02-18-2016 Bowen Mark Active-R85 Cemetary [email protected] PHF,4106,4107 4106 Fellow 6 Years Surgeon - Meritorious Tisa Smart- Boyle Stephen Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,PP,PRY 22,4106 MSA Retired Service Award Washington Past District Gov 01-26-2017 Investment Brown Andrew Honorary [email protected] PHF,PP PDG / District 5 Years Advisor Served: Shane Persaud Cabe James Active [email protected] PP Past President 03-02-2017 5 Years Financial Consolo Joseph Active [email protected] PDRI Past RI Director Dan Morgan Advisor 04-06-2017 Hardware- Paul Harris Cowan Edward Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,PP,PHFn,4106,4107 PHFn 5 Years Retailing Fellow (PHF)+ Lewis J. Grace Perfect Attorney - 03-01-2018 Crowe Sam Active [email protected] PHF,4106 PAS Attendance Trial 4 Years Since: Bernard Stanford Attorney - PHF - Paul Harris 04-19-2018 Cuthpert Clarence Active General [email protected] 4106 PHF Fellow 4 Years Practice Bryan Hilburn Military - PHS- Paul Harris Digby Daniel Active [email protected] PHF,PP,PHFn,4106 PHFS 01-08-2019 Reserve Society 3 Years Corporate- Previous Rotary Real Estate Bennett E Duncan Heather Associate [email protected] PRY Years in other Development McCumber D6910 Clubs: 04-04-2019 Hardware- Rotarian of the Etheredge Sandra Active [email protected] PHF,4106 ROTY 3 Years Retailing Year: Laura Sistrunk Pharmacy - Service Above Evans Vince Active [email protected] PHF,4106 SAS 04-11-2019 Retail Self Award 3 Years Religion- Cooperative Sustaining Forrester Ermel Active [email protected] SM Baptist Member Club Leaders Fellowship Banking - Scott G. Gaylord Kenneth Active [email protected] PHF,SM Commercial Slaughter President Executive George Ann Active Director Non- [email protected] Moses G. profit Kabia Financial President- Grace Lewis Honorary [email protected] PHF,PP 2015-16,ROTY 2012 Advisor Elect Harper John Active-R85 Airline Pilot [email protected] PHF,4106 Sandra Cowan Hedrick A. Active-R85 Dentistry PHF,4106,4107 Etheredge Dentistry - Secretary Hedrick Aubrey Active [email protected] PHF Sedation Bernard Private School Hilburn Bryan Active [email protected] Stanford - Headmaster Treasurer Non-Profit Wendy A. Hutcheson Michael Active Children & [email protected] Bear Families Membership Economic Chair Jones Martin Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,4106,4107 Development Ermel E Kabia Moses Active Banker [email protected] 4106 Forrester Membership Insurance - PHF,PP,PAS 1980,ROTY Retention Lassiter Michael Active-R85 Retirement [email protected] 2013,PHFn,4106,4107,4109 Chair Planning Dave Lavigno Bethany Active [email protected] Benson Sustainable PHF,ROTY 2009, 2015,4106, B, Loois Suchet Active-R85 [email protected] Family of Dev. RFDSA Rotary Municipal Lucas Tony Active [email protected] PHF,4107 Daniel S. Director Digby Investment Macchione Michael Active [email protected] PHF,SM Laws of Life Broker Contest Massey Terry Honorary Attorney [email protected] PHF,PP,ROTY 2011,4106,4107 Chair Insurance Al A. Myers Mathews Wilson Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,PP 2012-13 Medical Jr. GRSP Chair Electrical Maxwell James Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,4106 engineer Albert A. Education - Myers III CEO, Rockdale Rotary McCumber Bennett Active [email protected] Career Foundation Academy Chair Attorney- PHF,PHFS,SM,B,BS,MD,PP,DSA,PDG Shane Moore Garland Active-R85 [email protected] Judicial 6910,SAS,PHFn,4106,4107 Persaud Public Safety- Public Morgan Dan Active Fire and [email protected] Relations Rescue Chair Public Safety - William T. Morgan Tommy Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,PP,4106,4107 Fire Consultant Rogers Bulletin Pastor- PHF,PP,PAS 1993,GRSP Myers Al Active-R85 [email protected] Editor Presbyterian 5,4106,4107,4108 Attorney - Beth Myers Albert Active [email protected] PHF,PP,PAS 2000,4106 Family Law Andersen / Superintendent Past Oatts Terry Active Rockdale Co [email protected] President Schools Dorothy Architecture - Persaud Shane Active [email protected] Bala Building On-To IT-Information Robinson Wayne Active-R85 [email protected] PHF,ROTY 2018,4106 Conference Technology Chair Insurance- District Rogers William Active-R85 Wholesale [email protected] PHF,PAS 1984,4106,4107 Events Student Coord Executive Wayne Siebert Shelli Active Director - Arts [email protected] PHF,ROTY 2016,4106 Robinson Council Sergeant- Corporate- Plumbing - at-Arms Simpson Brian Active [email protected] Commercial Vince G. D6910 Evans Director of Club Sistrunk Laura Active Community [email protected] Fundraising Relations Chair Accounting - Slaughter Scott Active [email protected] PHF,4106,4107 Michael Tax Hutcheson Local Community Smart- Tisa Active Government - [email protected] Service Washington Taxes Chair Smith Ron Honorary [email protected] PHF,ROTY 2005,4106,4107 Martin Jones Banking - Club Service Stanford Bernard Active [email protected] Commercial Chair Shelli Siebert Club June 2021 Programs Chair Suchet L. Loois Our Time to Shine International Service By DG Tina D. Fischlin on Saturday, June 5, 2021 Chair Rotary Opens Opportunities � Opportunities Open Rotary Michael Macchione Where do you begin � how do you say thank you? We all wondered how would we survive as an organization this Rotary year. How would we Vocational continue our work in the community and in the world during COVID? Service It all started with a passion to serve. Each of us owes a debt of gratitude, first, to the Presidents and their clubs, and to the Assistant Governors, Chair District Officers, and the District Board of Directors. Thank you for your commitment, leadership, and guidance. Bryan Hilburn One of the most notable projects was our Feed 10 Million Meal Challenge � what an �opportunity�! With food insecurities at an all-time high, you Youth have provided over 2.4 million meals. The district�s recent $25K matching grant program will help us reach our goal of 3 million meals. You have Services another week to apply for $1,000 matching funds. Be sure to LOG all those meals you provided this year in the Feed 10 Million Meal Challenge log Chair page. Thua G. Our disaster relief committee was busier than ever: We received a $25K grant from TRF, which was distributed to clubs as $500 matching grants to Barlay provide much-needed food and PPE in their communities. iPast Youth Services kept our kids busy with 6 ACTIVE EarlyAct clubs and 3 more slated to start in the Fall. President Kim Glaze The Interact clubs stayed active during the pandemic with the Letters of Love campaign, which generated over 5,000 letters delivered to care Club facilities throughout the district. They also participated in an Earth Day recycling event, and we recently named our Interact scholarships for 2020- Executive 2021. Secretary Rotaract continues to grow. Congratulations to the newest Rotaract Club of Jasper! GRSP students and their host families are preparing for the program to resume this fall! RYLA�Rotary Youth Leadership Award�was held this past weekend at Tallulah Falls. What a great-looking group of future leaders! Check out the article in this newsletter from our RYLA weekend! This year, we had new online learning opportunities to provide personal and professional development through RLI and the much-improved Learning Center in Rotary.org. To keep our wheels turning, you continued to support The Rotary Foundation, and the latest numbers from Scott Parmenter indicated we were on track to finish the year strong. It is imperative that the work of Rotary continue through your support. ALL projects I just mentioned offer only a glimpse of what we can do with your contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Our District continues to be a recognized as a Peace District and is committed to promoting Peace & Unity by encouraging conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. We are committed to fighting disease; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; saving mothers and children; supporting education; and growing local economies. Rotary�s new area of focus�protecting the environment�will give us an important role in fostering the health of Mother Earth THIS YEAR was OUR TIME SHINE�to Unite, to take action, to create lasting change, locally and globally. It has been an honor to serve with you this year. Reflect on and celebrate your many successes in a time of great uncertainty. As the world continues to open and we begin to transition into 2021-2022, I have no doubt you will build upon the experiences of this past year and continue to do good in the world. Rest assured, Mike Berg and his leadership team have a great year planned to support you. May you always look for those doors of opportunities to open as you �Serve to Change Lives�! Thank you for your dedication and support this year. DG Tina

Rotary International Convention 2022 - SPECIAL EARLY DISCOUNT REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Saturday, June 5, 2021 By: Mike Berg, District Governor-Elect

Rotary International Convention 2022 Houston Texas June 4-8, 2022 Special Discount Registration Information Between June 12 and June 16 there will be a discounted cost for Registration of $250.00 per person, from the regular registration cost of $675 per person. Instructions: Go to HTTPS://convention.rotary.org/en On JUNE 12 a link will open up on the top right of the Convention web page. Click there and follow the instructions. Hotel and program information are also provided. Note, it is not necessary to register for the Virtual Convention.

6910 Named Global Peacebuilder District

Thursday, June 3, 2021

On June 2 Rotary International announced that Rotary District 6910 was officially named a Global Peacebuilder District. In addition to a variety of efforts during the year, the district also donated $25,000 from district designated funds (DDF) to support the peace centers. Click the Read More link to read the letter from Rotary International.

Dear District Governor Tina Fischlin,

Congratulations on earning Global Peacebuilder recognition for your district! You�ve achieved this distinction by contributing District Designated Funds or district cash to support Rotary Peace Centers or the peacebuilding and conflict prevention area of focus.

Global Peacebuilder Districts like yours play a critical role in supporting the work of the Rotary Peace Centers. Each year, your district contributions are part of the funding that allows up to 130 peace fellows to study at our seven Rotary Peace Centers. More than 1,300 alumni of the peace centers program are actively making the world more peaceful, from leading grassroots initiatives to guiding policy development at the and the World Bank. Starting this year, Rotary will offer a yearlong certificate program at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, the site of our newest peace center.

Your generous contributions also support the vital peacebuilding and conflict prevention work that clubs and districts do through projects supported by The Rotary Foundation. Through these activities, your donations help train leaders, address the causes of conflict, and build the capacity of communities around the world to overcome violence and increase their resiliency so people can flourish.

Global Peacebuilder Districts like yours are invaluable to Rotary�s peacebuilding initiatives. Thank you for your continued generosity in support of this important work!

$1,000 Matching Grants for Feed10Million

By Randy Redner on Saturday, June 5, 2021 Breaking News: Deadline Extended As Rotary District 6910 continues to feed hungry families across our district, District Governor Tina Fischlin issues a third and final challenge to Rotarians to go for a 3-million meal goal! A new matching-grant opportunity is revealed, and if this goal is achieved, DG Tina and our Feed 10 Million Meal Champion, Randy Redner, will jump out of a plane! Click the image above to watch the video. For Randy's latest update click the Read More link. Breaking news � we only have a few matching, $1,000 grant opportunities left for Feed10Million, and the deadline has been extended!

Click this LINK to learn more which will take you to the District Grants webpage and look for #9 Make Every Meal Count. Only a few matching, $1,000 grants are left, so don�t mission out! These will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Applications due via DACdb by June 4 Breaking: This deadline has been extended to June 11. Funds must be matched by the club and distributed by June 30. All meals provided must be entered into the Feed10Million database by June 30.

As of June 2, we were at 2,440,835 meals provided. Our goal is 3 million meals by June 30. DG Tina is so excited about reaching our goal that she has agreed to do something super crazy if we take care of even more children and families in District 6910. Watch the video on the front page of this month's District Newsletter.

Thanks again for providing just under 2.5 million meals--so far--this Rotary year to children and families in need, right in our home communities! If you have any questions, just reach out to me at [email protected] or on my cell at 404-273-1292.

Randy

Feed10Million Chair District 6910

P.S. Log your meal projects by clicking HERE (and, yes, you can go back to July 1, 2020, for any food projects you haven�t logged yet).

RYLA - About Building Grit

By Jeremy Echuck on Saturday, June 5, 2021

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is back and in a big way! Click the Read More link to find out more about this year's adventure.

It seemed like it would never get here, but it�s time, RYLA 2021. The first weekend of June welcomed an eager group of 66 students from across the district to the beautiful Tallulah Falls Community. This high energy leadership camp was more than just building friendships, it was about building grit. Something that can only be created when you are faced with leadership challenges like; navigating a class 5 rapid, climbing a four-story tower, working as a team to complete a high-low ropes course, or preparing a presentation for your peers. This message was also reinforced from one of our guest speakers, Rose Proctor (the director of ethical leadership at the Mike Cottrell College of Business at University of North Georgia) when she spoke about the importance of purpose and values. These students arrived at this camp with various levels of leadership experience, but everyone left a better leader than when they arrived.

This could not have been possible without the support of our local Rotary clubs and all the wonderful volunteers that choose to donate their energy and wisdom to this camp. With another year in the books and approaching our 30th anniversary of this camp, we anxiously await that next group of students that will arrive someday in the future, on the doorstep of the RYLA experience.

DG Fischlin, District 6910 Leads Way for GRSP Peace Plaza Donations

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

DG Tina Fischlin presents Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) Secretary Lorri Christopher, Marketing and Development Director Katheryne Fields and GRSP Foundation Trustee Emeritus Steve Harrold with a platinum sponsorship, $7,500 check for the GRSP Peace Place and Will Watt Memorial Fountain that will be dedicated at their 75th Celebration at Conclave in Thomasville August 20-21, 2021.

The District 6910 Board of Directors recently voted to approve a $7,500 contribution to the Georgia Rotary Student Program for the Generations of Generosity campaign. GRSP will be celebrating 75 years this summer with a special dedication ceremony at Conclave on August 20-21 in historic Thomasville, home of GRSP founder Will Watt, Founder, PDG, RC of Thomasville. The Thomasville RC has partnered with Courtyard� by Marriott� Thomasville Downtown to commemorate the milestone by creating the GRSP Peace Plaza and a Will Watt Memorial Fountain in honor of GRSP and its founder. GRSP Foundation has also partnered with them to fund the project.

This landmark will preserve the history of GRSP, provide a permanent marker for GRSP and allow Rotarians across the state to partner in this project. The estimated cost to develop this project is $100,000. Any money raised beyond that amount will be used for the GRSP Foundation endowment, which in turn lowers the cost of GRSP students to Georgia Rotary clubs. To date, GRSP has $89,000 in contribution and/or pledges, which are due by early June.

District 6910 was the first district in the state to commit a pledge to the campaign and will be identified on permanent signage at the Peace Plaza. All donors will be listed on the 75th Conclave program and on the GRSP website. Donations may be made online at https://grsp.org/donate/ or you may visit the site to download the donation form and send a check made payable to: Georgia Rotary Student Program, PO Box 61327, Savannah, Georgia 31420.

�District 6910 strongly supports GRSP,� said DG Tina Fischlin. �We have welcomed so many students into our homes and clubs that we recognize GRSP brings the brightest and the best to our state. The alumni of this �one of a kind� program, go on to serve as ambassadors for building goodwill and better friendships. We currently have two GRSP alumni serving on our District�s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.�

Of the 71 clubs in the district, there are 57 host clubs in District 6910. The academic year of 2021-22 will begin at Conclave for GRSP and District 6910 will welcome 15 students from nine countries. In the past 75 years, GRSP has provided scholarships for 3,692 students from 108 countries around the world. For more information, email [email protected]. D6910 To Join VOAD

By Timothy W. Ranney on Saturday, May 29, 2021 Rotary District 6910 is embarking on a new initiative and partnership with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, otherwise known as VOAD. Find out how D6910 Disaster Relief Co-chair, Tim Ranney, came up with a way for Rotarians to make a real difference when people may need it the most! A few months ago Doug Bolton, District 6910 Service Chair, asked if I would be the Disaster Relief Co- Chair for our District. My initial thoughts were to ensure we have a network of Rotarians across the District ready to respond to a disaster faster and more effectively through some general guidelines. We certainly cannot and should not be first responders, but there is often need in our communities� days and often months after a disaster. The support can be financial, in-kind donation or volunteer hours. A fellow Rotarian in the Rotary Club of North Jacksonville Florida, Padraic � Pat� Mulvihill, who is a Rotary leader in disaster relief in Florida, suggested we join our state VOAD. (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). Their member organizations have service-oriented missions and include volunteer engagement as a key component to their operations. According to their website, �Our dynamic combination of faith-based, community-based, and other nonprofit, non-government organizations represent thousands of professional staff and volunteers with unique skills and a resourceful spirit.� These organizations include American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Ga Foodbank Association and many other familiar names. Members of VOAD �mitigate and alleviate the impact of disasters, provides a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration; and fosters effective delivery of services to communities affected by disaster.� We are now completing the process for our District to join Georgia VOAD. This is the beginning of a journey on how Rotarians as �People of Action� may improve their response to disaster relief. Rotary does �Open Doors for Opportunity� for ourselves, our Clubs, and our communities. Tim Ranney Disaster Relief Co-Chair Rotary District 6910

Georgia Laws of Life Names Rotary D6910 Teachers of Distinction

Friday, May 28, 2021 By Linda Hatten, Program Manager - Schools, Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest

Click on the graphic above to read the official press release announcing this years Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest Teachers of Distinction.

R. L. Panyik Leadership Award Recipients

Monday, April 26, 2021 By PGD Don Martin, with contributions from Erika Neldner, Laura Dent, Mandy Volpe and Richard Butler

The R. L. Panyik Award was established in 2015 by PDG Bill Strickland. The award is named after past District Governor, Rich Panyik, who showed us all what extraordinary leadership should look like. This year's recipients of the award demonstrate those same qualities while executing their roles as club President in an exceptional manner. The five 2020-21 winners of this award were announced at the District Conference by District Governor, Tina Fischlin. This month we'd like to shine our leadership spotlight on these terrific leaders, who are an inspiration to us all.

PDG Rich Panyik Namesake of the R.L. Panyik Leadership Award Max Caylor

Rotary Club of Jasper By PDG Don Martin, Rotary Club of Jasper

As each Rotary year begins to draw towards the annual transition of leadership on July 1, we always try to take a few minutes and offer our heartfelt gratitude and some well-deserved recognition to the Rotarians and Rotary Clubs who by dent of effort and sustained perseverance made the Rotary year an exceptional one.

Whether you realize it or not, you belong to one of the best Rotary Clubs in the District, and your activities are known throughout the District and beyond. You were recognized once again this year as Gold Level Club and were a strong contender for the Club of the Year.

How does a club gain members, increase the number and scope of service projects, increase its Foundation giving, and make a lasting impact on its community�all during a year of dealing with a worldwide pandemic that seemed destined to thwart Rotary activities all together? It does so with solid, insightful, motivating, servant-based leadership�and we had an abundance of that in 2020-2021 Rotary Club of Jasper President Max Caylor. (OK, I left out nagging, but this is a positive, award winning, write up and sometimes a leader has to use all the skills that are available.) You have lived through the year with Max, so I won�t recount all the victories. I will let someone do that at the year-end banquet.

However, those projects, successes, goals achieved, giving levels attained, and new members added did not go unnoticed. DG Tina Fischlin carried on a District 6910 tradition of recognizing the top club leaders throughout the District and at the District Conference, which concluded Saturday night, Max was named as an R.L. Panyik Leadership Award Recipient. The RLP Leadership awards are given to only one club President in each size club. Being club president is considered the best job in all of Rotary and winning the RL Panyik Award is truly the icing on the cake. The Award is named for PDG Rich Panyik, who served as District Governor in 1999-2000 and has served the District, Zone 34, RI HQs, The Rotary Foundation, and the Rotary Leadership Institute in a variety of roles ever since.

The RL Panyik Award does not automatically go to the Club of the Year winner, because that is a club award, and not all clubs are created equally. Instead, the award recognizes leadership and extraordinary effort by presidents who served their clubs by leading them to exceptional accomplishments. Max�s selection was no surprise to all of us who watched him deliver success after success in a year that was challenging by any standard one chooses to use.

Congratulations Max. Wear that pin proudly. You earned it.

We got a "sneak peek" at this award when it was 'unofficially' presented by DG Tina Fischlin to President Max at our club meeting on March 24. Joining Max and Tina were PDG Don Martin and Assistant Governor DD Lee.

Amanda Groover

South Hall Rotary By Mandy Volpe, PI Chair, South Hall Rotary

There is a great reason why Amanda Groover was honored with the Leadership award for our district. She gives service above self around every corner. She has led the South Hall Rotary club during the unprecedented pandemic and found ways for our club to use tools and flexibility to identify new needs in our community and make an impact. During a year when it would have been okay to coast through as Rotary president due to the high stress of the economy, she found ways to reinvent service projects, create new ones, and included surrounding clubs to join in our collective efforts to make a huge community impact. She constantly challenges the members of our club to seek peace, give a meal, and find a need to fill in the community. Amanda states �I can't thank the other presidents in Area 13 enough for being willing to partner with our small club for some big ideas. It was collaboration of our clubs that allowed us to pull off our Peace Day ceremony, introduce our Rotary Rocks program, support organizations in the South Hall and Jackson communities through the Farmer's to Families efforts, and host a super successful Rotary Means Business meeting.� Amanda believes in the power of networking, found a way for our club to meet in person during social-distancing measures and continues to find ways to spur business relationships amongst Rotary members. In addition to Rotary, Amanda also serves within the community in the following capacities: She currently serves on the UNG Alumni Association Board of Directors, Board Member for Friends of Recovery Hall County, Peer Advisor for J's Place Community RCO in Hall County, Peer Advisor Council for Leadership Hall, UNG Greek Advisory Mentor for Sigma Kappa, and she is a part of numerous industry-affiliated organizations such as Athens Area Women In Construction, Partnership Gwinnett Redevelopment Task Force, ABC of Georgia, and the Southeastern Chapter of CMAA among others. Amanda also serves at her church as a small group leader. Lu Frier Byrd

Rotary Club of Greene & Putnam Counties By Laura Dent, P.I. Chair, Rotary Club of Greene & Putnam Counties Lu Frier Byrd is the current president of the Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties. She is the kind of individual who conducts herself in a quiet but incredibly consistent manner. Always living the Rotary 4-Way Test to its fullest, her career has involved serving in a variety of roles from health care, community-based business, local government, and most recently as a key manager in a law firm. Her work ethic has shined in everything she has done. Lu is always thoughtful and respectful of others. She always works towards the betterment of those around her. She is an extraordinarily proud Rotarian, and hardly a day goes by that she doesn�t wear her Rotary pin as a badge of honor ready to share with others what it really means to be a Rotarian. Lu is held in high esteem by our Rotary club, her community, her work group, and her family. If there is a Rotary function to participate in, a seminar to attend, a committee role to fulfill, Lu is there. This commitment to excellence has followed her throughout her career and anyone she has supported, served, or mentored along the way. Lu can be counted on. Her son sees her as an amazing role model. The past presidents of our club will tell you that she was always ready to lend a hand, take on a role, or perform a project that bettered our club. Her record of personal integrity can be summed up in two words: absolutely impeccable. Several years ago, Lu was our Club�s nominee of the Robert S. Stubbs II Guardian of Ethics award because every action she takes exemplifies ethics and character. Whether in her personal life, her family life, her professional life, or as a member of this Rotary club, she works with integrity, diligence, and amazing personal commitment to be the best she can be and provide excellent service. Her commitment to everything she does is unwavering. Past presidents will tell you that Lu is one of those Rotarians that is always there for you. Leads, she was there. Rotary Leadership Institute, count her in. Foundation Meetings, she�s sure to participate. District conference, when is the sign up? Local functions, there�s Lu. While the club hasn�t kept score, we suspect she may have attended more official Rotary functions than we could count on a dozen hands, and she never boasts about her commitment. She wears her Rotary pin ALL THE TIME. Why? Because she is a dedicated Rotarian, living the values of the 4-Way Test, every day, in everything she does, and eager to tell the Rotary story to anyone who inquires. Lu is soft-spoken, consistent, and dedicated to a life of integrity and to be the best person she can possibly be. Mike Everett

Rotary Club of Hartwell

Nothing symbolized this past Rotary year in Hartwell, Georgia, like the club's District Grant project entitled, Rotary and Hart Partners Backpack and Food Pantry. Mike was the driving force behind this project from inception through completion, and he was very passionate about making it a success. The project helped to fund the food pantries in the local middle school and high school, provide personal hygiene items for students, and fund food backpacks for seven children during the school year. It was a lot to take on, but it turned out great!

According to President-Elect, Rich Mewborn, that is the way Mike approached his year as president as a whole. "He has set the bar very high as he demonstrated his great leadership skills through the example that he set, he was extraordinarily conscientious," said Mewborn. "He was outstanding, especially considering the difficult circumstances of the pandemic, he was such a positive influence and he engaged members in a remarkable way," added Mewborn. One of the greatest measurements on the club's success, he said, was that the club enjoyed tremendous growth during the year.

President Mike is shown here posing having just receiving the R.L. Panyik Leadership award, presented by District Governor, Tina Fischlin, and Assistant Governor, Neil Azavedo. Mike is very involved in the community, not just Rotary. But he is a Rotary ambassador in all that he does. Here is a list of activities to which Mike invests his time: driver for meals on wheels, volunteer driver for cancer patients to doctor appointments for the American Cancer Society, member of the South Hart Elementary School Advisory Council, mentor for REACH, past president of the United Methodist Men's Group at Hartwell First United Methodist Church, and a member of the Vision Planning Committee at HFUMC. Phil Ciccone

Rotary Club of Towne Lake By Erika Neldner, P.I. Chair, Rotary Club of Towne Lake R.L. Panyik Leadership Award Winner Phil Ciccone represented all that the award stands for during his year as Rotary Club of Towne Lake President. He jumped in with both feet, ready to serve the small club of nearly 30 members. He invested his own money in equipment and software to create the first hybrid meeting setup, opening doors for a more robust selection of speakers and offering club members an option of attending in person or remotely. In 2020-21 Rotary Year, the Rotary Club of Towne Lake undertook new service projects in addition to its existing efforts. From monthly food deliveries to low-income seniors and Farmers to Families deliveries to hard-hit communities, to beautification projects in the Woodstock area, the Rotary Club of Towne Lake kept service at the forefront of its mission.

While fulfilling the service mission, Phil took on a district role in technology to assist District Governor Tina Fischlin and the District Conference committee to make a virtual conference successful. With the investment he already had made to create the hybrid meetings�and then some, Phil started a new production company, Blue Sonix, and donated all of his services to making the virtual conference successful. For weeks, he drove thousands of miles across the state of Georgia filming segments, returning to his Holly Springs home to put in hours of editing time. And when the weekend of the event arrived, he and his wife Debby hosted district representatives at their home studio and the entire program came together.

�Having a true production and experience is what we needed to make a virtual district conference memorable, enjoyable and a true tribute to all of the accomplishments the Rotarians and clubs had throughout the year,� Phil said. �As owner of onCloud, I have extensive technical knowledge and knew that there was a way to bridge the gap and create something special�and that is where BlueSonix was born. I created a production company and donated my services to create a robust experience where we leveraged prerecorded segments interlaced with live hosts, which also allowed us to bring in live speakers. This was overlaid with a platform and mobile app that created high user engagement. While everyone is still looking forward to when we can have an in-person conference, this was the most dynamic online experience we have had. And, of course, the Blooper segment was the fan favorite!� Phil�s dedication to service and leadership at not only the club level, but the district level as well, earned him the coveted R.L. Panyik Leadership Award�something he was surprised to receive. �Receiving the R.L. Panyik was quite a surprise, especially since I pre-filmed all four recipients,� he said. �Each year, the award is only given to four club presidents throughout the entire district. Receiving the award is not only special, but to be the fifth amongst such other worthy colleagues made it even more meaningful.�

About Rich Panyik

(Re-printed from the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville Website) Rich was born in Alton, but has lived in the Atlanta, Georgia area since 1972. He is a graduate of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, with a B.S. in Business Administration. He is President of R.L. Panyik & Associates, a manufacturers� representative agency, dealing in custom-engineered metal and plastic components. Rich is a charter member of the Rotary Club of South Gwinnett and has served as Club President and various other positions in the Avenues of Service. His club has honored him with the Rotarian of the Year, Paul Harris Fellow, Will Watt and Hue Thomas Fellowships. On the District level, he has served as District 6910 plus Chairman in 1987-88, District Conference Chairman in 1990-91, an Assistant Governor for 3 years, and District Trainer in 1996-97. He was District Governor in 1999-2000. In addition, he has participated on several Zone Institute Committees, Southland Breakfast Committee, and was the Rotary International Membership Coordinator for Zone 34 in 2002-2003. Other activities include District 6910 Foundation Chair from 2002-2005, District Trainer from 2004-2006, and General Chair of the Zone Institute in 2006. He participated as a Training Leader at the International Assembly in San Diego in 2006 and 2007. Rich served as the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (RRFC) in Zone 34 for The Rotary Foundation in 2007-2010. Rich is a recipient of the Rotary International Service Above Self Award, The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He is a Major Donor and Bequest Society Member. His hobbies include cycling and Native American culture. Personal accomplishments include running the Atlanta and New York Marathons and participating in the Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG). His most recent accomplishment was completing the 107 mile Ride To End Polio event in Tucson, AZ. Rich�s wife, Marla is a retired school teacher and a member of The Rotary Club of Loganville, GA. They have two children, Chris and Carrie and three grandchildren, Zachary, Zoie and Allie Jane. Rich is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Greene & Putnam Counties.

GRSP Alumnus Is Working To Pay It Forward

By Paige W Havens on Friday, May 28, 2021

Nipuna Ambanpola was born and raised in Sri Lanka. In his youth he became actively involved in community service through local Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary Clubs. In 2015 Nipuna was granted a scholarship from the Rotary Clubs of Savannah South and Savannah West to attend Armstrong State (now Georgia Southern University � Armstrong Campus). It was obvious from day one that Nipuna didn�t come to simply take; In gratitude for the doors of opportunity Rotary offered, he quickly began giving back in so many ways and embodying Rotary�s motto of �Service Above Self� in every way he could. Nipuna founded the Rotaract Club of Armstrong State University. He served as the Student Government President, representing the student body during the Armstrong-Georgia Southern University consolidation. He established the District Rotaract Network in Rotary District 6920 and served as the first-ever District Rotaract Representative for District 6920. Nipuna spoke at TEDx Savannah about how �volunteering can unite the world.� In 2017 Nipuna founded IVolunteer International and serves as the Executive Director. IVolunteer International is a 501(c)3 tech-nonprofit with a vision of enlisting 7-billion volunteers to do good around the world. IVolunteer International builds software and leads a variety of initiatives around the world to make volunteering fun, easy, and equitable. Upon completing his GRSP year, Nipuna remained in the states to continue what GRSP started in his life. He graduated with a BSc. in Business Economics (2019) from Georgia Southern University and a Masters in Public Administration (2021) from University of Georgia. Nipuna is currently enrolled in the Masters of Science in Business Analytics program at the University of Georgia (2022 graduation). With an exceptional work ethic and high standards, Nipuna was awarded the UGA�s MPA Student of the Year at his graduation this year. As if his studies and service demands aren�t intense enough, Nipuna also works as a graduate assistant at the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. Nipuna supports the Fanning Institute through their strategic planning, diversity and equity, and youth and adult leadership development projects. He also serves in these capacities:

Civil Society Representative serving in the Youth Steering Committee of the United Nations Department for Global Communications University of Georgia Blue Key Honor Society for Leadership and Service Founding President of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network at UGA Society of Business Intelligence at UGA Member of the Young Leaders Program at the United Way of the Coastal Empire Member of Omicron Delta Epsilon International Economic Honor Society Member of Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society for Public Administrators Community Grant Review Volunteer at the United Way of the Northeast Georgia. We are thrilled to have Nipuna serve Rotary District 6910 as a founding member of our new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Nipuna is a Paul Harris Fellow, Will Watt Fellow and Rotary International Youth All Star. After graduation from the MSBA program at UGA in May 2022, Nipuna plans to pursue a career in public policy and/or data-for-good (social impact/community investment) in the private sector. There is no doubt Nipuna is a person of action that is changing the world and the investment in his GRSP scholarship is reaping great dividends across Georgia.

2021 District Assembly and Rotary Showcase

Saturday, May 29, 2021 Video Showcase is Online

By Mike Berg, District Governor-Elect Over 100 Rotarians attended the 6910 District Assembly on May 15. Speakers included: RPE Shekar Mehta, PRID Stephanie Urchich on RI�s Strategic Plan, DG Tina Fischlin, DGE Mike Berg and DGN Gerry Taylor. This video will be on the District 6910 Website. For the benefit of Club Committee Chairs and others; twenty-two (22) separate videos (Rotary Showcase) are being produced to help educate concerning different aspects of club responsibilities. Currently, links to fourteen (14) videos can be found on the District 6910 website (from the dropdown menu across the top of the website, select 'Events' and then 2021 District Assembly...or, click the graphic to the right). These video presentations offer Rotarians the opportunity to view important information on their timeframe.

Leadership Spotlight: Paul Matthews

By Paige W Havens on Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Our monthly "Leadership Spotlight" series continues in June to help Rotarians throughout the district become familiar with fellow Rotarians working hard at the district level to help lead our organization into the future. This month we'd like to shine the spotlight on our District Grants and International Services Chair, Paul Matthews.

Pictured above is Paul serving as emcee for his Rotary Club's Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Award program in 2019. Paul Matthews was born in Australia when his parents were there studying sand wasps. They soon moved back to the states and made their home in Athens, Georgia. Being such an integral part of the Athens community growing up, it was only natural for Paul to get connected to the Classic City of Athens Rotary Club. In 1997, Bill Mounts invited Paul into the Rotary fold and was a strong mentor that engaged him early on at both the club and district levels. Paul�s Rotary resume grew quickly and exponentially. He�s served his Club as a board member, President, Club membership chair, and on the club service, philanthropy, strategic planning, and Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year committees. Paul is now making plans to take on the Club Administration role for this next year. In service to District 6910, Paul has been an assistant governor, a Group Study Exchange team leader, chair of GSE, Interact co-chair, Vocational Training Team coordinator, Foundation Alumni chair, member of the Ambassadorial Scholarship committee, the Rotary Grants for University Teachers committee, Global Grants chair, and currently Grants chair and International Services chair. He most deservingly received The Rotary Foundation�s Citation for Meritorious Service in 2006 and the Distinguished Service Award this year. Through the years, Rotary has opened opportunities that has taken Paul around the world: Group Study Exchange to (1999); Friendship Exchange to Turkey (2004-05); district-level matching grant project in (2003-04); club-level matching grant in Costa Rica (2007). When asked what his most memorable Rotary moment has been to-date, Paul said, �Probably going to Zimbabwe (my first time in ), as part of a D-6910 team to observe a community agricultural revitalization project that our district funded with a $40,000 grant. The project basically didn�t work at all as intended, which has allowed me a lot of 'food for thought' on how good intentions don�t always lead to good results. It was a powerful learning moment.� Professionally, Paul is an administrator at the University of Georgia with the Office of Service-Learning. He trains faculty members how to engage students with community partners to help apply their academic course knowledge to help solve real-world issues. He also tracks service-learning courses, does applied research, runs an undergraduate cohort program focused on UGA�s public service & outreach, and coordinates a network of AmeriCorps VISTA members. For fun, Paul serves as a Scoutmaster and sings and plays Irish/Celtic traditional music with other musicians in Athens. Since 2012, Paul and his wife Michele have been renovating their 108-year-old bungalow that has earned them an historic preservation award. Clearly everything Paul does embodies Service Above Self!

Changing of the Guard

By Paige W Havens on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 This time of year is always full of transition as we work to close out one Rotary year and launch a new one. Now is the perfect time to take a moment to recognize some of our district leaders for their dedication and loyal service to our mission as we have a changing of the guard. CHANGING OF THE GUARD Thank you to these retiring Board of Directors Members & Assistant Governors:

Dianne Cammarata � Board Member Bill Strickland � Board Member Jason Park � Area 1 Assistant Governor Jessica Fleetwood � Area 2 Assistant Governor Cindy Haddon � Area 7 Assistant Governor Donald Davis � Area 9 Assistant Governor Mike Albright � Area 11 Assistant Governor DD Lee � Area 15 Assistant Governor

We welcome these new leaders in to fill the big shoes of those above:

David Cooper Board of Directors Donald Davis Board of Directors Jackie Killings Area 1 Assistant Governor Bill Strickland Area 2 Assistant Governor Cheryl Legget Area 7 Assistant Governor Ron Tolen Area 9 Assistant Governor Steffanie Sorrells Area 11 Assistant Governor Regina Martin Area 15 Assistant Governor

We are truly grateful to everyone for your leadership and service to our District!

Elberton Celebrates 100 Years

By Shaheen Jalil on Thursday, June 3, 2021 It was a historic night in Elberton as the club celebrated 100 years of serving their community. Click the Read More link for the story and some great photos!

The Rotary Club of Elberton celebrated its 100th anniversary on Tuesday evening, June 1, with a reception and dinner at the Elberton Country Club. Longtime Elberton Rotarians Sue Cone, Janet Wiley and Rob Leverett reminisced about their experiences as members, as well as the club�s century of service to the community and Rotary International�s impact on the world. Those in attendance also had the opportunity to scan the scrapbooks from the Rotary Archives and watch a video on the club�s history. Elberton Rotary President Chris Kubas said the centennial celebration was not just about the club�s longevity, but also the ways in which it has lived up to the Rotary motto of �Service above Self.� �The club and its members have a longstanding history of service, both locally and globally,� Kubas said. �So where do we go from here? Our challenge going forward is to begin mentoring the next generation of future Rotarians in the Elberton Rotary Club�those who will continue to lead and leave a legacy for this outstanding club that was created 100 years ago. This is not the end of a century. This is the beginning of our next 100- year chapter.� A Very Proud Rotarian: Karl W�chtler

By Sallie Boyles on Thursday, May 20, 2021

Karl W�chtler shown here in 2016 after receiving the Ronnie Waller Fellow for his commitment and contributions to GRSP.

Throughout District 6910 we are blessed with a number of very special and remarkable Rotarians that have been dedicated to making a difference in the world and in our communities for a very long time. This month we'd like to share the story of one such distinguished Rotarian, Karl W�chtler. A member of the Rotary Club of Rome since July of 1986, Karl G. W�chtler is in his 39th year as a Rotarian with perfect, uninterrupted attendance in three clubs. Incredibly, during that time, he has visited 180 Rotary Clubs in 70 districts. �I enjoyed their activities and local meetings,� says Karl, who appreciated learning about their cultures while gaining firsthand perspectives about their communities� unique needs. He has also attended nine international conferences, 29 district conferences, and 16 GRSP conclaves�all in addition to participating in virtual assemblies and conferences related to district, zone, and global endeavors. �I have friends around the world,� he affirms. �Most of my activities [are and] were in international services,� says Karl, who devoted his career to international business. He retired as an executive VP of marketing and sales for SUHNER Industrial Products Corp., Abrasive Power Tools Division in Rome. Born and raised in Germany, Karl lived in England, Switzerland, Germany, and South Africa before settling in the US in 1977. Besides traveling throughout Europe and , he has been to Africa, , South America, and Central America. He�s not only fluent in German and English, but also speaks French (although, Karl confides, he�s a bit rusty) and Spanish. �I worked in marketing and sales all my life,� he says, �and I had the fortune to visit customers in all their countries.� While living in South Africa, he served as a leadership development counselor for the Jaycees. Karl�s first introduction to Rotary came about through the Jaycees, when his club teamed up with local Rotarians on a joint project. Several years later, when Karl was residing in Guilford, Connecticut, he encountered Rotarians who had a booth at a fair. �How can I become a member?� he recalls asking. �They invited me to a meeting, and I became a member the same year.� That was in December of 1982. Right away, he volunteered on a community service committee. In 1984, upon relocating to Upstate New York, Karl transferred his membership to Hartford, NY, where he was appointed Sergeant of Arms, until his subsequent move to Rome. �The important thing for the Rotarian,� Karl says, �is to be active, do things, get involved� based on �interests, background, and experience.� New Rotarians, he adds, �need to be encouraged to be engaged.� For any endeavor, managing details is essential to engagement. �You make sure all the points are connected,� Karl says. If it�s an international mission, he advocates in-person visits �to see that local club followed through.� He was hosted by a family doctor, for instance, while staying in Mexico City to organize a project of providing mammograms to women. His role of securing the equipment from GE took two years. He has further made and led multiple trips to Southern India. �When we were in India, we installed water wells,� says Karl, noting that clean water is �the most important thing, apart from education.� Forging lasting friendships as a result, he says, �I�m still in contact with people from India daily.� Looking back, Karl views a �major achievement� of his was to recruit a woman with an impressive public relations background for membership in the Club Rotario El Viaga in Ponce, Puerto Rico. (He also launched an international service partnership between the clubs of Rome and Ponce in 2018 that Karl shown here (center) at the Rotary supports a school for the deaf in PR.) Hesitant to join, Karl�s member prospect thought Rotary was a International Convention in Atlanta in 2017. men�s organization. �I took the fear out of her,� Karl says, �by telling her that women are the most He is posing with his very good friend and important people in Rotary today.� Past-District Governor from RID 3160 in Southern India, Bharath Reddy (second Keen on developing future Rotarians, Karl is active on the from the left). Also pictured are fellow Rotaract front and has generously supported GRSP (Georgia Rome Rotarians, Randy Quick (left) and Student Rotary Program) by investing his time and money. An Harry Wise (right). endowment/advisory trustee since 1997 and major donor, he has been highly involved in numerous conclaves. He and his wife have also hosted students from across the globe, including the Republic of Senegal, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, India, Jamaica, West Indies, South Korea, and England. The committed Rotarian has also been a faithful Freemason for 50 years. Still, he finds time for hobbies like photography and numismatic, and physical activities, especially swimming and walking. Read more about Karl�s distinguished service in Rotary below.

Karl presents the Will Watt Fellow to Urs Maire in 2017.

Rotarian Karl G. W�chtler

Uninterrupted Service, 100% Perfect Attendance in Three Clubs Rotary Club of Guilford, CT, December 1982 Transferred to Rotary Club of New Hartford, NY, May 1984 Joined Rotary Club of Rome, GA, July 1986

Visited (To Date) 180 Rotary Clubs in 70 Districts

1. E-clubs

29 District Conferences (Districts 715 and 691/6910 � 3160 - 1860) 1 District Assembly 6910 (Plus several until ca. 2016) 5.13.21 Zoom 9 International Conventions 16 GRSP Conclaves 1 Rotary CART Annual Meeting Zoom 5.3.2021 - Donor Since April 2020 attended monthly Zoom Mtgs. RID Zone 33/34

TRF (The Rotary Foundation) Paul Harris Fellow, Major Donor $11.000 + Paul Harris Sustaining Fellow RI Benefactor

GRSP (Georgia Rotary Students Program) Ron Waller Fellow $ 11,000.00 + A. Kendall Weisiger Fellow Hue Thomas Fellow Will Watt Fellow Awards Rome Rotary Club - Four Avenues of Service Citation, 1998 TRF District Service Award, 2005 Memberships Life Member of Rotary International Fellowship on Population and Development, now Rotary Action Group International Computer Users Fellowship of Rotarians Fellowship Rotarians on the Internet Environmental Fellowship for Rotarians International Fellowship of Roaming Rotarians International Fellowship of Pipe Smoking Rotarians Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship Service - Rotary Clubs of Guilford and New Hartford Committee Member Tree Sale, Guilford, CT Committee Member Rose Sale, Guilford, CT Committee Member Pancake Day/ New Hartford, NY Sergeant of Arms, New Hartford, NY Service - Rotary Club of Rome Chairman World Community Service/ International Service 91/92; 93/94; 94/95; 95/96; & Committee Member Attendance Chairman/ Club Service 91/92 Committee Member Attendance/ Club Service 01/02 Committee Member Vocational Awards /Vocational Service Committee Member Rotary Information/Club Service Committee Member the Rotary Foundation Committee Member World Community Service/International Service: 88/89; 90/91; 91/92 Committee Member GRSP 90/91; 91/92, Committee Member International Student/ International Service 87/88; 88/89; 89/90, Committee Member: On-to-Conference Committee, Youth Service 04/05 Committee Member of GRSP Committee/ International Service 04/0 Fall 2018 started a Partnership Club in District 7000 with Club Rotario El Viaga in Ponce, P.R. International Service. Committee Member of GSE Committee/ International Service 04/05

Committee Member of 90th Anniversary Committee/ Club Service 04/05 Committee Member of Directory/Website Committee/ Club Service 04/05 Committee Member of Membership Development/ Club Service 05/06 Program Committee Member, Club Service, 06/07 Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity Home Mart, Community Service 05/06 Volunteer, Salvation Army - Rotary Bell Ringer/Community Service 05/06 � 06/07 Director International Service 1996/1997, 2012/2013, 2013/2014 & 2014/2015, Alternate Director 2015/2016 (Partly Vocational Director), 2015/2016, 2016/2017, 2017/2018, 2018/2019 A supporter of Alliance for Smiles GRSP Chairman Georgia Rotary Students Endowment Fund (ROME GRSP ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE) Emeritus GRSP Endowment Trustee International Service 99/00, 00/01, 01/02, 02/03. O3/04, 04/05, 06/07, 09/10, 10/11 GRSP Committee member 06/07, International Service Co-chair GRSP Conclave 2009 Committee 06/07 International Service GRSP Youth Conclave 2009, Committee Chair 07/08/09 GSE Committee Chair & member 07/08/09/10 GRSP: Endowment/Advisory Trustee since 1997 GRSP Trustee Emeritus 2017 GRSP Liaison to the Rome Club TRF Friendship Exchange Team Member 6910 to 3160 India - January 2005 GSE Team Leader 6910 to 1860- Germany - May/June 2005 Hosted RI - International Youth Exchange Student from Bogota, Columbia; R. C. Guilford, CT Two GRSP Students during 1997 Rome Conclave, from Holland and Island Two GRSP Students during 2009 Rome Conclave, from Scotland Participated in the GSE Team visits from Perth, WA, RID 9450 - 1991

GSE Senegal, West Africa, RID 9100 � 1995 (Hosted) GSE Japan, RID 2650 � 2002 (Hosted, organize, chauffeured) GSE Switzerland, RID 2000 � 2004 (Hosted, Organized & chauffeured) GSE Germany, RID 1860 � 2005 (Organized & chauffeured GSE/TRF - FE India, RID 3160 � 2006 (Hosted, Organized & chauffeured) GSE Jamaica, RID 7020 - 2007 (Hosted, Organized & chauffeured) GSE West Indies RID 7030 - 2008(Hosted, Organized & chauffeured) GSE South Korea RID 3600 � 2009 (Hosted, Organized) GSE N. W. England RID 1050 � 2010 (Hosted, Organized partly) RLI Rotary Leadership Institute Part 1 and Part 2 Rotary International Peace Symposium. LEADS (as of 5.14.16: District Assembly) Rotary � CART Annual Meeting Zoom 5.3.21

Photos From Around the District - May 2021

In case you can't see it or if you are wondering if there is something wrong with your eyes, that check to the NE Georgia Hospital System - Braselton, is for $100,000!!!! Talk about impact in our local communities! Check out the story that appeared in The Braselton News for more of the details.

Pictured above (l to r): Braselton Rotarian Toni Funari; Cheryl Shippey, with the NE Georgia Hospital System�Braselton; Hardy Johnson, President of the Rotary Club of Braselton; Chad Bingham, Rotary District 6910 Assistant Governor; Charm McCall, Rotary Club of Braselton President-Elect, and Maggie James with the Hospital. For more great District 6910 photos and memories made during the month of April, click the Read More link below.

Rotary Club of Athens

The Medical Partnership/Athens Free Mobile Clinic was recently the recipient of a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Athens. The donation will go help further the clinic�s mission to combat COVID-19�the clinic began testing in April of 2020 and started administering vaccines in February 2021.

Pictured from left are Campus Dean Dr. Shelley Nuss and Medical Director of MP Mobile/Athens Free Clinic Dr. Suzanne Lester. Rotary Club of Canton Volunteers forming a human chain to make more efficient unloading and loading trucks with food boxes.

Canton Rotarian Whit Thompson and his family joined in the fun! Whit is in this picture with his wife Beth and their two sons.

From left to right, Debby Ciccone (Towne Lake Rotary Vocational Chair), Francisco Lozano (Canton Rotary PI and Family of Rotary Chair), Phil Ciccone (Towne Lake Rotary President), Peace Udoma (Visiting Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Nabuja Federal), as well as Lynn Epps (Canton Rotary Past President) enjoying Rotary fun and fellowship at the community food distribution!

Canton Rotary led the way by organizing another successful and fun community food distribution on Saturday, May 22. Collaborative effort distributing fresh food provided by USDA and shelf stable food provided by SERV International. Over 1,300 total boxes distributed by 30+ volunteers from Canton and Towne Lake Rotary Clubs, Hope Dealers World Wide & The Recovery Organization of Cherokee County (The ROCC), Cherokee Soccer Association (Impact Soccer) and Cherokee Youth Foundation, Young Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Reinhardt University, Cherokee Sheriff's Office, Creekview High School, Revolution Church, Cherokee County Homeless Veterans, Crossroads Primitive Baptist Church, LDS Youth, G. Cecil Pruitt Indoor YMCA, and many individuals from the community. Check out this wonderful story that appeared in the Cherokee Times, featuring Cherokee Rotary's Interact co-advisor, Ms. Jennifer Rasmussen. What great Rotary P.R.: LINK

Pictured above, Ms. Rasmussen speaks with students at Canton High School.

The Rotary Club of Canton is proud to support the education and achievement of all Cherokee County youth. It was their honor to present scholarships to outstanding students! They presented the scholarships during the club meeting on May 18 at Thrive Coworking in Canton. Full story and pictures with detailed captions by Peter Gleichman here: LINK

Pictured above: Sequoyah HS Senior Daniel Mccrobie received the $1000 Service Scholarship for developing the Robotics and Interact Club initiative to manufacture hand and leg prosthetics on 3D printers and shipping them overseas. He is proudly joined by Sequoyah HS Interact Club Adviser Dr. Brent Hollers and Canton Rotary Youth Service Co-Chairs April Rogers (left) and Rachel Ashe. South Forsyth Rotary Club & North 400 Rotaract Club South Forsyth Rotary Club and the North 400 Rotaract Club enjoy a sunny afternoon at Fowler Park with some blue ribbon BBQ and our fuzzy four- legged friends!

(Pictured: l to r) Sonja Bullard, Jeremy Echuck and Amanda Holcomb Yenerall

Rotary Club of Gwinnett County

The Gwinnett Rotary Club, along with I-CERV joined together and volunteered at Medshare. In a span of just over two hours, they packed 120 boxes, totaling 1057 lbs which would have otherwise been landfilled. As a result of their efforts, 877 patients in underserved countries will be able to receive proper medical supplies.

South Hall Rotary Club

Members of the South Hall Rotary Club are shown above enjoying a District Conference "Watch Party" with plenty of great food! Loganville Rotary Club This is a Loganville Rotary Club project involving Phillip Henson who is 12 years old and has cerebral palsy. His mother passed away in 2018 and his father recently lost his foot due to diabetes. He is currently living in his Grandmother Nancy�s home with his father. His family needed a wheelchair ramp so the Rotary Club of Loganville paid to have one built for him by a local handyman named Joe.

This is yet another example of how the Loganville Rotary Club helps the local community. This is who we are and this is what we do. We help thy neighbor. We are �People of action!� We are successful people helping people. If you�d like to visit or be a part of this awesome club we meet every Thursday at 7:15 am at the IHOP in Loganville. If you�ll RSVP with President Marty Thrasher at 678-896-9992 we will even buy your breakfast.

Rotary Club of Union County

Jaiden Murphy and Dr. Melissa Bridges show off the latest issue of Mountain Roots and Relics at the Union County Rotary Club on April 29. Cathy O�Gara, Bob Ramay and Gene Windham deliver ink for the fifth edition of Mountain Roots and Relics to Dr. Melissa Bridges at the Union County school library. Click here to read the related press release.

South Hall Rotary Dedicates New Peace Pole

By Amanda R Groover on Tuesday, June 1, 2021

On very rainy May 4th, several South Hall Rotarians joined with members of the City of Oakwood commission to dedicate a new Peace Pole in the downtown area. This custom fabricated pole represents five languages in the South Hall Community. On very rainy May 4th, several South Hall Rotarians joined with members of the City of Oakwood commission to dedicate a new Peace Pole in the downtown area. A peace pole is a dedicated statue that is designed to remind citizens of the message � May Peace Prevail. Peace poles exist all over the world. The one located in Oakwood is now one of more than 200,000 in 180 countries. �One of our many objectives for our club this year was to fabricate and dedicate a peace pole in the South Hall community,� stated Club President Amanda Groover. �We spent a lot of time trying to identify a location that would be visible to who live, work and play in our community.� The club began working with the City of Oakwood to install the pole with the possibilities of it being relocated in a few years to a site located along the southern expansion of the highlands to islands trail. Groover shared that they �want this pole to be a beacon for the community, so it was designed with future lighting in mind as well as custom designed and fabricated as a unique sculpture. We hope to get it identified by the Vision 2030 Art community.� The custom fabrication was created and donated by Thomas Prather of Conditioned Air Systems, powdered coated at Georgia Powder Coatings, and landscaping provided by the Landscape Management Company. We are extremely grateful for the community support. We owe a debt of gratitude to not only the companies who dedicated their services but to club members Jeff Williams of Conditioned Air and Corey Benson of Landscape Management who helped us reach our deadline on this project. The new pole located in Oakwood is a five-sided metal fabrication that depicts the words � May Peace Prevail in English, Spanish, German, Korean, and Vietnamese. The languages were chosen to represent the most common languages and businesses in the South Hall community. This idea for peace pole projects began with Mr. Masahisa Goi saw the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima. Mr. Goi wanted a reminder that words, thoughts, and intentions carry energy strong enough to influence the destiny of all living beings. His hope was that by speaking, acting, and living in the spirit of the simple prayer � May Peace Prevail on Earth � he could affect future generations. In her final thoughts, Groover mentioned the potential for future peace pole projects with the city. �The ultimate vision is looking past this project on to future club presidents who can donate benches, help move this along the trail, even donate a second pole with a flag that represents more languages as our community grows.�

A Double Celebration in Duluth

By Sallie Boyles on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 On May 5, two honored guests, District Governor Tina Fischlin and the Honorable Nancy Harris, Mayor of Duluth, joined the Rotary Club of Duluth for their meeting at the new Duluth Library, giving attendees a preview of the facility before the official ribbon cutting on May 25. With the help of District 6910 grants, the club has donated $50,000 to augment the technology provided through the Children�s Room.

The Rotary Club of Duluth poses for a group Pictured above at the Duluth photo after a recent meeting held at the new Library are Randy Redner Duluth Library. Special guests included The (left) and Ryan Jones. Honorable Nancy Harris (Mayor of Duluth), who is seated front and center in white with a v-neck sweater, and DG Tina Fischlin (second row, fifth from the left).

The Rotary Club of Duluth meets in the brand new soon-to-be opened Duluth Library, where the club has donated $50,000 to augment the technology provided in the Children's Room. Along with celebrating the state-of-the-art facility, DG Tina recognized Randy Redner, Chair of the Feed 10 Million Challenge, and Ryan Jones, his right-hand man in charge of recruiting volunteers to unload each and every food truck that arrived in Gwinnett. This Rotary year�s theme, Rotary Opens Opportunities, had special meaning as heads of households lost their jobs and struggled to put food on the table. Virtual learning compounded the problem of making certain children did not go hungry. For those who know DG Tina, it�s quite obvious that she views great challenges as even greater opportunities. She also has a knack for presenting such opportunities to the ideal people! That�s exactly why she contacted Randy Redner about rallying the district to supply one million meals to families in need during her Rotary year. �In round numbers, we should end May at around 2.4 million,� Randy shared. �We decided to launch a close-the-gap campaign called Make Every Meal Count to encourage clubs to make sure they have put every meal project from this past year into the Feed 10 Million database. We feel pretty sure, together, we have already hit the $3-million mark but just haven�t recorded it yet. We�re encouraging all clubs to go get the paperwork done by June 30.� To sweeten the challenge, DG Tina has pledged to take a celebratory skydive if the $3-million milestone is met! Many hands played a part in this endeavor, yet all would applaud Randy, who received the Feed 10 Million Champion Chair Award, and Ryan, who was given a Hero�s pin. A standing ovation goes to DG Tina, who led this incredibly important accomplishment.

MEET DILLON KASSON � 2021 GLOBAL GRANT SCHOLAR

By Paige W Havens on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Dillon Michael Kasson, from Lilburn, Georgia, has been bestowed the honor to serve as District 6910�s 2021 Global Grant Scholar focused on peacebuilding and conflict resolution. With our support, Dillon will work to obtain a Master of Science in Migration Mobility and Development from SOAS University of . The program will teach valuable strategies and methods that can be used to understand complex issues that result in conflict and instability. The program promotes a multi-disciplinary, pedagogical structure that incorporates focus on issues such as climate change, interethnic relations, globalization, food security, and access to education. As part of the program, Dillon will be required to examine numerous case studies of scenarios from around the world and will write a dissertation that he can use as basis on which to build an impactful career. As an undergraduate at Saint Leo University, Dillon completed a BA in Global Studies and was recognized for outstanding academic achievement as a student athlete. Dillon�s desire to dive deeper into his studies developed as he worked in the Peace Corps. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, he completed 27 months of volunteer service working in the health sector in a small village in Senegal. Dillon shares, �During the course of my time there, I played an instrumental role in the community engagement and activism required to plan and execute numerous impactful projects that improved access to healthcare, food security, and education. My largest accomplishment involved the design, funding, and construction of a new primary healthcare facility in the village where I served.� Through this experience, Dillon saw firsthand that peace can be most easily achieved by understanding and addressing, on a holistic level, the underlying factors that cause strife. After completing the MSc program, Dillon plans to pursue a role in government at an NGO or in international education where he can serve as an effective catalyst for dialogue between conflicting groups and as a knowledgeable advocate, bringing to the table a rich understanding of interconnected global issues. He has a particular interest in issues surrounding migration and refugees, especially areas that involve analyzing and developing solutions to close socio-economic disparities that exist between urban and rural areas, particularly in developing countries. Dillon also strongly believes in the importance of raising awareness and advocacy for peacebuilding. For this reason, he plans to continue to actively share his experiences with young people to encourage others to be more active in cross-cultural exchange so to bring about positive change in the world. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville for nominating Dillon and sponsoring his application into this exceptional program.

2021 Zone 34 Public Image Citations Announced

By DG Tina D. Fischlin on Saturday, June 5, 2021 Congratulations to all of the clubs in District 6910 that have been awarded the Zone P.I. Citation for 2020-2021. This year a total of fifteen clubs have been recognized and we are all so proud of them for their extra efforts in going the extra mile to make sure that the public image of Rotary and their individual clubs is a very high priority. Please join me in offering praise, kudos and congrats to the following clubs....click the Read More link.... HOT NEWS.....

The following clubs have been awarded the 2021 Zone 34 Public Image Citation:

Rotary Club of Canton

President: Shane Moore Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Francisco Javier Lozano

Rotary Club of Clayton

President: Wayne Knuckles Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Leif Ericson

Rotary Club of Columbia County West

President: Lynn R. Michael Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Donald Davis

Rotary Club of Conyers

President: Scott G. Slaughter Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Shane Persaud

Rotary Club of Dahlonega Sunrise

President: William Jarell Jones Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Wes Chambers

Rotary Club of Duluth

President: William E. Edwards Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Sallie Boyles

Rotary Club of Forsyth County

President: Claire H. McDonald Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Denise Leeson

Rotary Club of Gainesville

President: Bill Hall Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Lindsay Allison

Rotary Club of Greene & Putnam Counties

President: Lu Frier Byrd Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Laura Dent

Rotary Club of Lanier-Forsyth

President: Janice I. Davis Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Mike Cartwright

Rotary Club of Martinez Evans

President: Gregory A. Baker Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Ashley White

Rotary Club of South Hall County

President: Amanda R. Groover Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Mandy Volpe

Rotary Club of Towne Lake

President: Phil Ciccone Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Erika Neldner

Rotary Club of Union County

President: Edward Sternberg Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Cathy O'Gara

Rotary Club of Winder

President: Benjamin S. McDaniel Public Image/Public Relations Chair: Maddison Dean

CONGRATULATIONS!

Training Opportunity: DACdb Leadership Series

Saturday, June 5, 2021 DACdb has announced the next in their series of online virtual trianing sessions:

When: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 What: Part two of a seven part Club Leadership Series - Learn how to add your club leadership in DACdb and have it update in Rotary International automatically.

Time: 3:30 p.m. (This session will be 20 minutes long with 10 minutes of Q&A.

Registration: You must register in advance by going to the Calendar in DACdb (www.dacdb.com). Make certain that the "multi-district" checkbox is checked in the calendar options to be able to see this event in the calendar. Find the event under June 8 and click the 'register' button.

You can find the recording for this and all past sessions by visiting the Support Tab within dacdb.com. Once there, from the left navigation, click on DACdb Training, DACdb University Tuesday Training. A page will then be displayed showing this and all past recordings. The recording for this session is typically posted within 48 hours of the live session.

Click the logo above if you would like to go back and revisit any of the "Infinite Possibilities" webinars presented during the past year from Zone 33- 34, including Series 1: Women In Rotary and Series 2: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Important Dates & Deadlines

Click Here for PDF of Upcoming Key Dates Communication Pipeline

Click here to send a note to the Public Image Committee

RI Monthly Themes

Click here