Club Calendar

January is Vocational Service Month

Our Rotary Family
BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARIES

Rotary Online

https://dunwoodyrotary.org
https://rotary6900.org/
https://rotary.org/

ROTARY CLUB OF
Dunwoody

ROTARY CLUB OF Dunwoody

Meeting Venue: This Friday's Meeting will return to the WESTIN Atlanta- Perimeter North!

Please note, this Friday, we will return to our normal meeting venue at the Westin Atlanta - Perimeter North (7 Concourse Parkway NE, Atlanta, GA, 30328)

Driving Directions can be found at: http://www.westinatlantanorth.com/getting_around

This Week's Speaker: J. Tom Morgan

J.Tom Morgan has dedicated his career to being an outstanding trial attorney and an outspoken champion for children and youth. J.Tom Morgan is an experienced trial attorney specializing in criminal defense and general civil litigation. During his career, he has tried over 100 jury trials and successfully argued before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia. Since 2004, he has been in private practice after serving more than 20 years with the DeKalb County District Attorney's office, including 12 years as District Attorney.

J.Tom served as the District Attorney of DeKalb County for 12 years, where he supervised a staff of over 40 attorneys who were responsible for the prosecution of more than 5000 defendants charged with felony crimes each year. DeKalb County was then the second most populous county in Georgia, with over 600,000 residents.

Prior to being elected District Attorney in 1992, J.Tom served as an Assistant District Attorney in DeKalb County for 9 years and was the first prosecutor in Georgia to specialize in the prosecution of crimes against children. He prosecuted more than 500 cases involving children who had been sexually or physically abused or murdered. Nationally recognized as an expert on the prosecution of crimes against children, he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, CNN's Talk Back Live, Court TV, and 48 Hours, and he has been featured in People and Parenting magazines. He lectured to prosecutors and law enforcement officials in more than 30 states, Puerto Rico, and Europe and served on the faculty of the National College of District Attorneys. In 1992, then Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala appointed J.Tom to the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. He also chaired Georgia's Child Abuse Prevention Panel.

Recognizing the need to treat victims of child abuse, J.Tom is a founding board member of the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, Inc. (formerly Georgia Center for Children), which provides free counseling to children who are victims of child abuse. He is also a founding board member of the National Alliance for Children (formerly National Network of Child Advocacy Centers). J.Tom has authored articles on child abuse (read more at Publications and Accolades) and was instrumental in drafting and lobbying for laws that provide more protection for children in child abuse cases. He has received numerous awards for his service to children and youth (read more at Publications and Accolades).

With experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney, J.Tom is committed to educating young people and helping them avoid being both victims and perpetrators of crimes. He is author of many books and papers and frequently speaks to a variety of audiences. J.Tom is a professor at Western Carolina University where he teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, theories of crime, American Courts, introduction to criminal justice and ethics in criminal justice.

J.Tom is a native of Albany, Georgia. After graduating from Albany Junior College, J.Tom received his undergraduate degree in accounting cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1977 and his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1980.

Ring in the New Year with the world leaders of tomorrow!

Jan 12 to 14, RCD will host 41 GRSP students from countries throughout the world. These young potential leaders will learn more about service above self and leading others in making this world a better place for us and future generations.

You are welcome to attend all events at Oglethorpe University on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Highlights include —

Jan 13, Saturday morning “Fierce Conversations” by executive coach and former RCD president Larry Hart.

Saturday afternoon presentation on “Toxic Charities” by Anne Hallum of AIR Guatemala followed by Food Packing with Rise Against Hunger. We will package over 10,000 meals in about 90 minutes and have a great time doing it.

Jan 14, Sunday morning is the “Shark Tank” when the student teams will present their proposals for a service project to a panel of Rotarian judges.

If you would like to be a judge, contact Warren Turner.

If you would like to attend the other sessions, please come!!!

For additional information, contact

Louise S Barden 404-423-8226 or email lbarden@comcast.net

PCMS Quizbowl Competition 1/19

We are looking for 5 volunteers to represent the Rotary Dunwoody Club in a friendly competition against the Peachtree Charter Middle School (PCMS) Quizbowl team. The competition includes questions about history, literature, math and pop culture. Rotary Dunwoody won last year in a very close competition.

Rotary members Tom Lashway and John Mills have been assisting PCMS teacher Ms. Shannon McCartha with practice this year.

Please contact Tom Lashway (tomlashway@gmail.com) if you would like to be a member of the Rotary team for this competition and help defend the title.

Rotary Youth Exchange students in Thailand

The Rotary Club of Dunwoody is participating, for the first time, in the Rotary International Youth Exchange program which matches carefully-selected high school students with families in other participating countries where they live and attend high school for one school year. More than 9,000 students participate worldwide. This year two Dunwoody High students are living and learning a brand new language, one in Taiwan, Yasmeen Herb, and one in Thailand, Henry O’Connell. This letter to the Rotary Club of Dunwoody was recently received from Henry:

“Hello and Happy New Year’s from Thailand! The holiday season has come and gone and it has been a very bittersweet time for me as we transition into 2018. This is my first time away from home at this time and I am in a country where most, if not all, of our holidays are not celebrated. But I have been very busy. My host mother is the type who travels at every opportunity. It feels unreal, but I have passed my exchange’s halfway point. In the past 5 months of my exchange I have enjoyed life thoroughly. School has been my favorite part of my exchange. I've taken advantage of my school’s classes and I have 2 periods of Chinese, 2 periods of Japanese, and the rest in Thai. On weekends and days off I can go see movies and go out to eat with my school friends. My local mall even has an indoor skate rink! My communication at school is strictly in Thai despite the best efforts of many to converse with me only in English. My exchange to me right now is more than I could have imagined. The experiences I am having every day and the places I have been are memories I will never forget. Thank you for sponsoring me on this adventure of a lifetime!”

This scholarship is valued at $24,000 and will soon be accepting applications for future years. Six students were recently chosen for school year 2018-2019 including Emily O’Day, a senior at Dunwoody High who will be living and attending school in Brazil. This year, Dunwoody High School has one of the incoming students, Anna Moldrup from Denmark. She is hosted by three local Dunwoody families who provide a home for her for three months each.

New Payment Options for Paying Dues

There are now two new payment options to make paying your dues easier, that became available with the October 1, 2017 invoices. These will continue to be available for the invoices coming out on or about January 1, 2018.

In addition to being able to mail in a check, you may now also pay by credit card or ACH, right from the electronic invoice. There is no additional charge for this using this method of paying.

If anyone has any questions, please contact Cathie Brumfield at: (770) 350-1552

Looking for the fountain of youth? Try hanging out with younger people

Dunwoody Elementary School (DES) would like to establish a relationship between our older and younger generations who reside in the same community. DES is seeking RCD retirees, who area able, to come to the school once a week (30-minute commitment) and support instruction in the classroom. Individual volunteers will be matched with a teacher who will establish lines of communication with the volunteers.

Volunteers will be asked to help with math and reading fluency and possibly other activities that could benefit from an extra pair of eyes and hands. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Warren Turner, RCD Youth Services Director (turner@cardinalpoints.com o 404-664-6000) for more details.

RLI next sessions are on 01/20/18

Rotary Leadership Institute: The next RLI opportunity will be in Thomasville Georgia on 1/20/2018 at Southern Regional College. Parts 1,2,3 will be offered, as well as a new Grad Course in Membership for those who have completed Part 3. The next opportunity after that to attend RLI sessions will be a little closer to home. It will be held onMarch 10th at Tucker Middle School (26 Idlewood Toad, Tucker,GA 30084).Registration is $100 per course. D6900 Rotarians may register at http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/Register/index.cfm?EventID=77348671.

The Rotary Leadership Institute is a series of three sessions that must be completed in sequence. Attendees will spend the day in a single session ( Part 1 for first time attendees) , so it will eventually require you to spend three days to complete the RLI course. The sessions teach you about Rotary and will give you a solid grounding in Rotary. It also provides an opportunity to meet Rotarians from across the District 6900. One factoid that you may find interesting is that those who attend RLI have a much greater chance of staying in Rotary, presumably because they realize how to get so much more out of being a Rotarian. If any questions contact Rick Otness ( otness_r@mindspring.com ).

RCD End Polio Now Fundraising: 100% RCD Participation Goal!

Between now and June 30th we will be working on getting every member in the Rotary Club of Dunwoody to become a donor to our Club's End Polio Now effort. The size of the contribution is up to each individual donor, but the goal is to get 100% participation by the members. Those of you that attended the RI Convention last June know just how close we are to eradicating this disease. But the final steps are the always the hardest to achieve. RI has committed to raising more than $150 Million from its members over the next three years. Our Club's campaign will help to achieve a small portion of the required effort.

Donating can be done by logging on to the club's website (https://Dunwoodyrotary.org ) and clicking on theEnd Polio Now icon

Then click on the Contribute button.

That will take you to the donation page.

*****Please give something now. We will be keeping you posted on our Club's progress toward "being all in".*****

RCD Caring Hands

An oft-quoted maxim says, "No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". - Theodore Roosevelt

The cards for members and their families that circulate during our meetings are one way to express shared joy over good news or shared concern about difficulties experienced. As one of our members recently stated at his return from surgery, getting a card with heartfelt greetings from all the members present helped him feel better and heal sooner.

Once we know our friendly breakfast club is also a caring club, our dedication to "Service Above Self" is stronger and we look forward to participating in projects and events with other Rotarians. If we are in need of a service, the first call made will be to a Rotarian.

So, if you are aware of an approaching or pat event worthy of celebration or concern, please tell Dottie Toney-Ransom at toneydot@me.com. You can also write it on either a yellow card (for joy) or a blue card (for concern) and leave it on the table, or place it in Dottie's hand at the end of the meeting.

We ARE a very caring club! Thank you for helping to make it so.

ROTACON 2018

Rotacon 2018 is only three months away. Rotacon 2018 is a district conference designed to engage Rotarians, their guests, and familes for a weekend full of inspirational stories, entertaining sessions, and educational breakouts. It is an opportunity to enjoy time with your fellow club members and get to know 1,000 Rotarians and their guests from all over District 6900 in a relaxing and entertaining environment that is Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort.

This year, the 2018 District Conference will take place from April 26-29.

Rotarian and Guest Conference Registration is $245 through March 31, 2018. Register before January 18^th to be eligible to win one free conference registration. Other prizes are also available. Accommodations and rates per night at the Village and Grand Complex Buildings vary. Beachside Studio $243; Beachside 1 bedroom $265; Beachside 2 Bedroom $340.00, Beachwalk 2 Bedroom $249; Bayside 3 Bedroom $312. Bayside at Sandestin –Guest room $150.00; Village 2 Bedroom $286.00; Grand Complex Studio $180.00; Grand Complex, 1 Bedroom $200; Grand Complex, 2 Bedroom $286.00; Grand Complex, 3 Bedroom $355.00. The Cut off for reservations is March 17, 2018. After that date rooms will be sold on a space available basis.

Visit the website https://rotary6900.org/v2/page/378 for registration and more information.

For more information and questions please feel free to contact Ardy at ardy11422@yahoo.com.

From the desk of the Newsletter Editor

Send your Newsletter submission to: rcdnewsletter@yahoo.com

Our Club's Weekly Newsletter typically consists of:

• Speaker bio
• New Member Name(s)
• Featured article(s) (regarding events, service projects, or on-going topics general club administrative items, etc..).
• Foundation initiatives or other topics of interest to Members and with value for our Club archives.
• Announcements (seeking volunteers, advertising service projects, etc.)
• For Your Calendar (Club and other activities we encourage members and/or their spouses to attend, including Family of Rotary events
• Member News (birthdays, anniversaries, accomplishments, Caring Hands)

Please keep in mind key components to include with your submission:

• Title of your article
• Description of the activity
• Dates, Time, Location, deadline, etc... (especially for upcoming events)
• Key Points of Contact Information and/or a link to reference website for details
• Names and/or headcount of Rotarians (and others) participating,
• The reaction of those benefiting and the numbers of those benefiting.
• Picture(s)

Please also tell me the number of weeks would you like the article published.
Finally, the deadline for articles to run in the current week are Mondays by 5 p.m.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me!

Thank you!
Eleni Bafas
eleni.bafas@gmail.com
770-833-8896