The Friendly Breakfast Club

This Week's Speaker
Ray Ezelle, Executive Director, Discover Dunwoody

Join us this Friday at Maggiano's to welcome Ray Ezelle, Executive Director at Discover Dunwoody, a destination marketing organization (DMO) focused on promoting tourism in the vibrant city just north of Atlanta, at the heart of the Perimeter. Ray is a seasoned senior executive in hospitality sales, marketing, events, and business development. 

Bringing a wealth of industry experience, Ezelle joined the Discover Dunwoody team in 2021. Prior to this role, he served in various key positions, including Vice President of Sales, Sports, and Services at Visit Virginia Blue Ridge; Executive Vice President of Business Development at Connections Housing in Suwanee, Georgia; Vice President of Connect Meetings in Norcross, Georgia; and Area Director of Sales and Marketing at PCH Hotels – Resort Collection on Alabama RTJ Golf Trail, based in Florence and Montgomery, Alabama. In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ray established Total Hospitality Industry Solutions (THIS) in Suwanee.

Ray Ezelle is an alumnus of the University of Southern Mississippi, currently residing in Suwanee, Georgia, with his wife Stephanie. They have five sons, and three dogs. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf and passionately supports the Atlanta Braves, Dallas Cowboys, and SEC Football.

Service and Fellowship
It's Bounds Garden Saturday!

You might not find Ranger Fred in his shorts and tee-shirt, but you will find him at Bounds Gardens this Saturday, January 10 at 9 am, ready to play in the dirt! Join Fred and your friends from the Rotary Club of Dunwoody at Bounds Gardens, the traffic island across from the Dunwoody Library. Dress warmly and bring gloves and your favorite garden tools.

January 30 - February 1, 2026
Think GRSP Weekend Host Family!

This year, The Georgia Rotary Student Program celebrates 80 years of promoting Peace through Understanding, and we have been active participants since our club was chartered more than 40 years ago. The GRSP Leadership Weekend has been part of our tradition for 25 years - and we need your help! We still need another 8-10 host families for the January 30-February 1 event! Think about helping us out. This year, we are co-hosting the event with the Rotary Club of Buckhead - one that brings all 40 students in the Georgia Rotary Student Program's Class of 2025-26 together for a weekend of learning, service and fun.  The Rotary Club of Metro Atlanta and the Rotaract Club of Atlanta also partner in putting on this event.

To have a successful weekend, we need lots of help from you. For now, we are focused on enlisting host families for the weekend. 

One of the most important roles you can play is as a host family for the weekend. It’s a great way to get to know students from all over the world. We encourage hosting two students, but will try to accommodate your request for one, two or more than two! Host family responsibilities include providing:

• A bed to sleep in Friday and Saturday night
• Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday morning – whether that’s home-cooked or from a favorite local place
• Transportation to and from the event, which will be held at the Dunwoody North Shallowford Annex at 4470 N. Shallowford Rd, Dunwoody (Friday night pick-up, Saturday drop-off and pick-up, and Sunday morning drop-off)

Host families are also invited to join the students for Friday and Saturday night meals and activities.

If you are interested, let Jackie Cuthbert know - send an email to cuthbert@mindspring.com - and let her how many students you'd like to host, what countries you might be interested in, and whether you have pets (so we can avoid any pet allergy issues.

Golf Tournament Update
Now It's Time to Swing into Action!

We are gearing up for the May 18, 2026 FORE! the Memories Golf Tournament. As you saw at the holiday lunch, we have been able to donate $85,000 to the Georgia Alzheimer's Association from our four previous tournaments, continue funding for the work of Anchor Place Respite Care, and put money toward some of our other local service initiatives. We'll tell you more this Friday. In the meantime:

• Check out the website:  FORE! the Memories – Rotary Club of Dunwoody Charity Golf Tournament
• Think about how you’d like to support our biggest fundraiser – with your time, talents and treasures! We would like to see every club member involved in some way!