Committee Reports 

George Seaborough reminded members about the Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy take out food event and raffle fundraiser on Feb. 21 at Benedictine. The raffle remains open through Feb. 26 at 2:59 a.m. He thanked those who have already ordered. Julie Wade announced the Park Place Toss for a Cause event on March 6.
 
President Jessica Pedigo announced that we are at 80% on Foundation giving and urged members to make their contributions by the end of the month. A fund has been established to donate on behalf of members who may not be able to otherwise. Contact her for more information.
 
Service Committee Chair Jordan Chase reminded members we will be collecting running shoes for the Fleet Feet donation program. The shoes will go to local organizations that help unhoused people. Race medals will also be collected and given to children at Memorial who are completing their cancer treatments. Donations can be dropped off at the Savannah and Pooler Fleet Feet locations. Sign the attendance sheet while there to get credit.
 
Program Committee Chair Daniel Weiner will have someone from the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee speak to the group on March. 2. A representative of the Savannah Center for Blind and Low Vision will speak to the club at the March 16 meeting. He encouraged everyone to continue scheduling munches.
 
On behalf of President Elect Cecilia Arango, Jessica Pedigo reminded members the February Metro Mania Challenge involves participating in the shoe and medal collection effort, supporting a Metrotarian owned business, and giving a shout-out to a Rotary member on social media. She also announced Will Gruver will be the next president-elect once Cecilia takes office.
 
AV Support Needed: We had an issue with Wi-Fi at the meeting that presented unexpected challenges that we had to work with on the fly. If you have any experience in IT or audio/visual production, we welcome your assistance at our meetings! Please contact Jessica for details.
 

Featured Speaker: David Pratt

David began the presentation by announcing that he was stepping down from his position with the Savannah Music Festival to become chief executive officer at the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He explained how the Savannah festival  is different from others in that it does not focus on a single genre. Instead, it features performers from American roots music (blues, bluegrass, etc.) international music, jazz, and classical. Pratt said that in 2019, the festival resulted in $10.05 million in direct spending, $7.65 million in visitor spending, and $852,344 in sales and hotel tax revenue. The festival generated 8,916 room nights and 1,783 flights.
 
He described how festival staff worked to pivot to bring programs — especially educational programs —online so they could continue to reach participants during the pandemic. They also studied how outdoor concerts in Florida and Tennessee were able to be staged while maintaining Covid protocols. The plan for 2021 is to use the outdoor performance space at Trustees Garden at reduced capacity. Pratt said Coastal Health District Director Dr. Lawton Davis is a supporter of the festival and has offered consultation on how to maximize safety.
 

Membership Moment: Jason Nielubowicz

Jason talked about his work in commercial and residential real estate at Judge Realty. As most people know, Jason is an avid live music fan and if not for the pandemic would be out seeing music every night.
 
He has had a large collection of vintage motorcycles, which once totaled 14 machines. Now he’s down to two BMWs. He said he's lucky to be alive, having been shocked with 7,620 volts of electricity from a downed power line in 2007.