Ed. Note: Just saw on Facebook that our Community Grants Director, Kay Williamson, was honored as the Meriwether County Rotary Club's 2025 -26 Rotarian of the Year. Congratulations to Kay and thanks for all her hard work on behalf of our communities!

Our Foundation at Work

Congratulations to 2026-2027 Competitive Grant Recipients!

By Kay Williamson

Rotary District 6900 is proud to announce the recipients of this year's Competitive Grant Awards, investing ,500 from our District funds from The Rotary Foundation in seven innovative service projects that will improve lives, strengthen communities, and promote Rotary's mission of creating hope and building peace. Congratulations to the Rotary Clubs of Buckhead, Dougherty County, Meriwether County, Georgia North Atlanta Professional Alliance (NAPA), North Fulton, Peachtree City and Vinings Cumberland. Read more about what these clubs are planning to do.
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Our Rotary Foundation

Paul Harris Lives On!

By Bob Hagan

I’m not sure we as Rotarians spend enough time looking at those who went before us as shining examples of who we want to be as Rotarians. It’s the legacy of a number of individuals who set the Rotary wheels in motion and gave us a path to follow. One such individual was Paul Harris - pictured here. I truly love photos of people we talk about. It gives us a chance to look in their eyes and as is often stated, the eyes are the windows to the soul. As I look into Paul’s eyes in the photo, I see a man who carries the soft eyes of one who truly cares about what he is doing, but also within them I see the eyes of hawk. They are sharp, clear, and focused on what is ahead of him.  I want to focus on the Paul Harris Society this month. As our founder, it is only fitting he should have a program that bears his name.
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End Polio Now

Think About This Fundraiser Idea ... and Share Yours

By Lee Hollingsworth

As we approach World Polio Day on October 24, think about how your club might raise some extra money to End Polio Now. We're sharing an idea the Roswell Club is using in the story here - soliciting donors to sponsor First Responders in a tennis/pickleball clinic at a local country club - raising money to End Polio and honoring First Responders in the process. We're hoping you will share your ideas so we can include them in the October newsletter (send your ideas to District Newsletter Editor Jackie Cuthbert at cuthbert@mindspring.com by September 25).
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Rotary Youth Exchange

Rotary Welcomes 2026-27 RYE Students

By Bob MacDonald

In August, Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast welcomed 15 inbound high school students from 14 countries   for Inbound Orientation at Lake Yale, Florida. This included our three District 6900 Inbound students, from Latvia, Brazil and Italy.
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RI Convention 2027

The Early Bird Catches the Worm!

By André Marria

Barcelona 2027 is calling—and now is the time to make sure You are ready!

Our GRSP Scholars say Get Ready! Fiona Jensen and Clara Wollesen, both from Denmark and attending Georgia Gwinnett College, hold the reminder poster which list the early bird special. Rotarians who have already registered their interest will be alerted as soon as registration opens on September 17, 2026 . This is especially important because the discounted early-bird registration rate of 5 will be available only from September 17–21. Beginning September 22, the registration fee increases to 5. Visit the Rotary International Convention Barcelona website and take advantage! [more]

End Polio Now

How Far We’ve Come in Such a Short Time!

By Bob Hagan

This month I want to take a look at truly how far we have come in stamping out polio and how it really has only been a march of approximately 40 years where we Rotarians have been involved in the fight. Think back on the arrival of the Polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1953. It was declared to be fully safe and began widespread use in the United States in 1955 saving thousands of lives. We became part of this fight in 1985, a mere 40 years ago and did you know that as recently as 1988 over 350,000 children were paralyzed by polio worldwide striking children in over 125 countries. Now, with the help of Rotary and our partners, the number has decreased by over 99.9% worldwide. [more]

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)

Every Rotarian, Better Rotarian

By Walter Marria, Jr.

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) isn't just for club officers or future presidents; it's for every Rotarian who wants to get more out of their membership. Join us in Thomasville, GA on Saturday, January 30 from 7:30 AM  to 3:30 PM at Southern Regional Technical College. Learn more about the opportunity. [more]

Share Your Ideas with Rotary International

By Mary Ligon

Did you know that every Rotary club has a direct path to influence Rotary International’s future? Through the Council on Resolutions, clubs can submit ideas and suggestions for the RI Board of Directors to consider. This is your opportunity to highlight issues, recommend improvements, and share innovative ideas that can strengthen Rotary worldwide.
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Laws of Life

Great Start to a New Contest Year

By Carol Gray Walker

As we start a new contest year, we are fast approaching a milestone: one million essays written by Georgia students since the program began. Thanks to  Thank you to everyone who joined us for the annual Georgia Laws of Life Teacher & Rotarian Workshop Luncheon! We had a wonderful turnout of educators, Rotarians, and supporters as we came together to kick off the 2026-2027 contest year. In addition to getting the program underway in participating schools this year, it's time to think about the Founders Celebration on November 4 at the Dunwoody Country Club. We hope Rotary Clubs, businesses, and individual supporters from across Georgia will join us for our signature annual event. Check it out ... [more]

Training/Service Opportunity

Become a CPR & AED Instructor

By Dan Jenkins

The Rotary Club of North Fulton is partnering with Wellstar to offer three upcoming opportunities for Rotarians to become certified CPR and AED instructors - with classes on September 26, October 24 and November 14. We’ve created a simple program to get you trained and certified—and, just as importantly, to support you as you begin teaching CPR classes in your community. We can help you set up classes and connect with local first responders to make this critical initiative a success. Read on for more about the classes and what you need to do to enroll.

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Club News

Atlanta Southern Crescent Help Kindergartener Begin School Year with Confidence

By Trina Kolawole

Recently, a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Atlanta Southern Crescent came across a heartfelt social media post shared by respected community leader Crystal Perry, founder of Melanated Pearl Corp. In her post, Crystal shared the story of a hardworking father who had recently secured employment but had been living in his car with his daughter, who is preparing to begin kindergarten this fall. Inspired by Crystal’s post, the Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Atlanta Southern Crescent wanted to help make the little girl’s first year of school even more special. The club generously pooled together 0 and shopped for a variety of items from a wish list provided by Dad.
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Club News

Dougherty County Featured on WALB Town & Country

By Rebecca McCathern

Dougherty County Rotary Club was proud to be featured on WALB’s Town & Country program this August, shining a spotlight on the impact Rotary makes right here in our community. During the segment, Club President Jessica McMullian and Membership Chair Patrice Williams sat down to discuss the true purpose of Rotary — Service Above Self — and shared how our members are making a difference locally. The feature aired during New Member Month, giving viewers a firsthand look at what it means to be part of Rotary and an invitation to get involved.  Watch the segment and share it within your own networks.
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Carrollton-Dawnbreakers Fill Little Free Pantries

By Laurie Fleck

Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotarians came together to help feed 700 neighbors in need through a service project benefiting the community’s Little Free Pantries. Club members prepared meal bags containing recipes and all the nonperishable ingredients needed to feed a family of four. The completed bags were distributed among Carrollton’s 15 Little Free Pantries, providing families with everything they need to prepare a meal at home.
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Club News

North Fulton Installs Landscaping for Habitat Home

By Lisa Gelber

North Fulton Rotary members joined Habitat for Humanity North Central Georgia one hot August Saturday to complete landscaping around a new home built for a single mother and her two teenage daughters. The project focused on preparing the yard to be safe and welcoming for the family.
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Club News

Community Awareness: Understanding the Impact of Opioids and Substance Abuse

By Andy Borders

The Peachtree City Rotary Club recently welcomed Dr. Carolyn McDermott to speak about substance abuse, fentanyl, prevention, and the impact addiction can have on young people and families.

Drawing from her years as a counselor in the Fayette County School System, Dr. McDermott shared insight into the challenges communities face … [more]

Club News

NAPA Gives Back: 205 Backpacks, 205 Kids Ready for School

By Eryn Hopkins

At the North Atlanta Professional Alliance Rotary Club, we talk a lot about Service Above Self. On July 30, we showed what that looks like in practice. NAPA members gathered for our Pack It Forward Back-to-School Backpack Project — a community service initiative organized in partnership with the NAPA Foundation to ensure local students head into the new school year with the supplies they need to succeed. We filled 205 backpacks. That's 205 kids walking into middle schools in and around Johns Creek with everything they need and nothing standing between them and a great first day. [more]

Club News

Columbus-Muscogee Full of Rotary Adventure

By Lora Warren

The Rotary Club of Columbus-Muscogee has been busy impacting our community in a variety of ways. Since the start of the year, we have:

• Continued collecting different items to help support the many needs our community has in helping our under-served and homeless populations
• Been inspired by a guest speaker to gather lots of bug spray that our homeless residents needed
• Helped with school backpacks, everyday supplies for a veterans, a clothing and food drive for Baptist Mission, and MercyMed's flower garden.  

And, we've changed up our meeting format and added five new members to our club. And that's just the beginning.
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Just before their inaugural golf tournament, Meriwether County Rotarians will Read Across Meriwether, showing their commitment to literacy.

Club News

From Idea to Tee Box: Meriwether Rotary Gets Ready to Play “Par for a Purpose”

By Jodi Sharpe

Sometimes a new Rotary project begins with a complicated plan. Other times, it starts with a couple of Rotarians saying, “Why don’t we do this?”

Earlier this year, Rotarians Lance Daniel and Jodi Sharpe approached Club President Melissa Trujillo with the idea of hosting a golf tournament as a new fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Meriwether County. The goal was simple: create an event that would bring people together for a fun day while raising money to help Rotary continue serving communities throughout Meriwether County. From that conversation, “Par for a Purpose” was born - with tee off on Friday, September 25, 2026. [more]

Club News

Peachtree City Back to School Bash Helps Students Succeed

By Andy Borders

August began with Peachtree City Rotary putting Service Above Self into action at the community’s Back to School Bash, where Rotarians came together to help local students and families prepare for the new school year.

Our club provided free school supplies to Peachtree City students, helping ensure they returned to the classroom with the basic tools needed to learn and succeed. [more]