Committee Reports
President Cecilia Arango announced that Elizabeth Summerell is president-elect of the Junior League of Savannah.
She also reminded members that Sept. 21 is International Day of Peace. Equality is both a fundamental human right and a necessity for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Still, girls and women worldwide face inequities in areas including health and education, and they experience significant violence and disproportionate poverty, she said.
Cecilia announced that Rotary has teamed up with Toastmasters to provide virtual professional development certifications in a variety of topics including building a welcoming community for people with disabilities, collaboration, developing inclusion plans, delivering speeches, leading teams, DEI resources, and resiliency. Find out more through the Rotary Learning Center.Program Committee
Program Committee Chairman George Seaborough reminded everyone of the next Social at Castaways on Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Erin Wessling will talk about the Give Change That Counts initiative at the Oct. 5 meeting and Malena Gauss of Lammergeier Glass Recycling is the featured speaker at the Oct. 19 meeting.
Service Committee
Service Committee Chair Kristen Crawley reported there are 24 volunteer opportunities at the Girls on the Run Golf Tournament on Oct. 14. The fall fundraiser will be held on Nov. 13, so save the date!
Foundation Committee
Foundation Committee Chair Laura Lee Bocade announced Metro's latest Paul Harris fellows: Darron Alvord (+5), Kelley Boyd (+1), Spencer Burch, Ellen Harris, Cari Phelps (+1), Patrick Phelps (+1) and Josh Yates (+5).
Membership Committee
Membership Committee Chair Katie Joyner reminded members of the Each One, Bring One campaign. She presented a yellow belt to Emily Salzer.
Interact
Interact Club Liaison Sarah Smith invited members to talk with Woodville Tompkins students about their careers or work in the community. Mondays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. are the best times. The presentations are made via YouTube and are archived so more students can view them. Contact Sarah for more information.
Guests
Kyle Redner was the guest of Laura Lee Bocade.
Conni Reynolds was the guest of George Seaborough.
Emily Salzer (New Members Program)
Featured Speaker: Ed Presnell
District Governor Ed Presnell is a regional business executive with Peach State Federal Credit Union and a member of the Augusta Rotary Club. He shared his optimistic outlook on how Rotary has weathered the pandemic, noting that the district has experienced a net loss in membership of 170 people. This equates to an average of three members per club from the 61 clubs arrayed throughout our district. He encouraged everyone to take their Rotary involvement to the next level and to embrace the Each One, Bring One campaign. Ed described Rotarians as, "change makers," noting that our individual efforts to serve people in the community — and especially Girls on the Run participants — will have a multiplier effect, which will extend to their entire families. He also reminded Metro members about the importance of having fund while serving others.