Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for each of you. Our club is strong because of the kindness, dedication, and generosity you bring to our community and to one another. Thank you for the spirit of service you embody all year long.
I hope this holiday brings you joy, rest, and time with the people you cherish the most. For those traveling, I wish you safe journeys and smooth returns.
Wishing you and your families a warm, wonderful and grateful Thanksgiving.
With appreciation,
Erik
November 11th Meeting Recap
Our meeting on Tuesday, November 11th was filled with acknowledgement for our nation's veterans. Many members donated Happy Dollars in an expression of gratitude for the sacrifices their parents and/or grandparents made in service to our country. In addition, there were many mentions of thanks for the volunteers who worked on our Peace Garden at North Park on Saturday, November 8th, in particular for the leadership of Steve Siders. Joy Manbeck was so moved by the Veteran's Day program at Rotary Club of Marietta Metro that she was compelled to take our Happy Dollars up to $200 and requested that the funds go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, supporting first responders and veterans.
Jeff Esterkes mentioned that he and Regina have now been members of our club for one year. It sure seems like longer because they both immediately jumped right into volunteering!
District Foundation Chair, Bob Hagan was in attendance to give our 2024-25 Foundation Giving recognitions. Our club was recognized for our contributions to Polio Plus, Every Rotarian Every Year, and for attaining per capita giving of at least $100. Bob shared some statistics on the giving for District 6900 for the 2024-2025 Rotary Year:
- Our District members contributed over $1 million to The Rotary Foundation in the 2024-25 Rotary year
- $750,000 of this was given to the Annual Fund, which means that approximately $365,000 will come back to our District in the 2027-2028 Rotary year for District Grants
- $250,000 was given to Polio Plus
Moving on to Club Business, President Elect Dan Jenkins presented the 2026-2027 Board Nominees. Members will vote on these nominees at our next meeting on December 9th. Please reach out to Dan if you are interested in serving on a committee for one of the following areas: Fundraising, Community Service, Membership, Public Image, Foundation. If you have any questions about the nominees below, please reach out to Dan as well.
- President, Dan Jenkins
- President Elect, Jonathan Stelling
- Treasurer, Erik Bykat
- Secretary, Steve Siders
- Community Service - Amie Blanton
- Membership - Jeff Esterkes
- Foundation - Doug Higgins
- Fundraising - Rick Clark
- Public Image - Lisa Gelber
- Interact Club - Joy Manbeck
Since it is Foundation Month, our program for today's meeting was all about The Rotary Foundation, presented by our Foundation Chair, Doug Higgins and District Grants Chair, Mike Mudd. Doug and Mike gave us an in-depth explanation of how The Rotary Foundation works and why it's important to contribute so that Rotary can continue to issue grants to "do good in the world". Although our club is modest in size, we have a rich history of contributing to The Rotary Foundation. Since our club was chartered in January 2000, we have contributed over $900,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Mike shared a few fun facts about our giving:
- Our 2024-2025 giving was $18,637 or $478 per Rotarian - we were #5 in the District for per capita giving.
- For at least 20 years, our club has been in the top 10 for the District in per capita giving AND 10 of those years we were in the top 3.
- Our Polio Plus giving average for the last 4 years was $1300, which is then matched 2 to 1 by The Gates Foundation ($3900).
Many thanks to Doug and Mike - we are lucky to have such knowledgeable members in our club!
Peace Garden Refresh!
Submitted by Steve Siders, Project Chair for our Peace Garden at North Park
We had two beautiful days with many club members volunteering to help enhance our Peace Garden at North Park on November 8th and 15th. The garden is now officially rebranded the Peace Garden and we've planted a second Peace Pole closer to the front entrance to draw visitors in. The back garden has been updated with a cleaning, refurbished Peace Pole and mulch. The front garden has been created from scratch to include a new Peace Pole, some boulders, mulch and 40 new plants including a Japanese Maple, spreading plum yew, oakleaf hydrangea, autumn fern and black-eyed susans.
I would like to thank our many volunteers for the work accomplished over the two days. We had about 15 at both work days covering 2 hours and 2.5 hours respectively (that is about 68 man hours total). After our hard work, we were able to enjoy even more fellowship together at Cue Barbecue both days.
I am grateful for the support of our project committee: Stacey Nyman, Carolynn DeSandre, Kathleen Peneguy, Andy West, Rick Clark, and Richard Matherly. Special recognition goes to the following three people for their extra effort: Rick Clark, for building and installing the new Peace Pole; Andy West, for refurbishing the existing wooden Peace Pole; and Brad Serff, who picked up the plants and saved our back with his auger!
Rotary Club of North Fulton Supports Military Veterans through CPR Fundraiser
On November 6th, Rotary Club of North Fulton member Marc Gelber donated his time to teach two CPR training classes at Chateau Elan. Attendees contributed a $25 donation to the Chateau Elan Military Support Foundation (CEMSF). Since its founding in 2019, CEMSF has raised more than $450,000 to serve the local military community by providing financial assistance, basic needs, housing support, and mental health resources. The foundation is entirely volunteer-run, with no paid full-time staff, ensuring that every possible dollar goes directly toward helping veterans and their families.
The event took on special meaning after the sports club at Chateau Elan experienced two cardiac arrest incidents in the past two months, one of which resulted in a life saved.
Although Chateau Elan is outside the North Fulton area, our club was honored to extend support to such a worthy organization making a real impact in the lives of those who have served.
Membership Minute
Simple ways to spark interest in Rotary over lunch, coffee or conversation
Submitted by Jeff Esterkes, Membership Chair
Simple ways to spark interest in Rotary over lunch, coffee or conversation
Starter Phrases:
- "Have you ever been to a Rotary meeting? I'd love to invite you as my guest."
- "You seem really engaged in the community - Rotary might be a good fit for you."
- "We have a lunch coming up with some inspiring speakers. Want to join me?"
Spotting a Good Fit:
- Active in other networking groups
- Recently retired and exploring new purpose
- Passionate about service or local impact
- Curious, energetic, and community-minded
