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October 28th Meeting Recap

What a full and eventful meeting we had on October 28th! We had many visitors, including some from neighboring clubs Roswell (Past District Governor Bob Hagan and Lee Hollingsworth) and Alpharetta (Lauri Young and Bob Murphy), returning visitor Jim Murphy, as well as several folks visiting for the first time. 

Fresh from his return from cruising the Mediterranean, Steve Cory led our Happy Dollars, with all funds going to Polio Plus. There were many Happy Dollars, per usual. Here are just a few:

Past President Rick Clark expressed his gratitude for all the well wishes and prayers he received during his stay at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital. Rick, we were all so happy to see you at the meeting! Rick also mentioned that he is going to be checking an item off his bucket list next month by attending a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field in the winter. (I don't know about you, but my bucket list does not include being outside during the winter in Wisconsin for several hours!) 

Marc Gelber and Steve Cory shared some exciting news related to AED devices. Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell are going to be 4-minute cities due to the generous support of Wellstar North Fulton Hospital. A 4-minute city is a community-led program designed to dramatically improve survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest by ensuring an AED can reach a person in need within 4 minutes of the emergency. 

Amie Blanton shared how meaningful her mission trip with The 410 Bridge to Guatemala was.

CLUB UPDATES

Several of our members became Paul Harris Society Members recently and were recognized for this by Past District Governor (and current District Foundation Chair) Bob Hagan. Also on hand to celebrate this was Lauri Young, the Paul Harris Society Chair for our District. These new Paul Harris Society Member are: President Elect Dan Jenkins, Jonathan Stelling, Brad Serff, Past President Rick Clark and President Erik Bykat. Thank you all for your generosity to The Rotary Foundation! 

Foundation Chair Doug Higgins also recognized Past President Joy Manbeck and President Elect Dan Jenkins for becoming new Bequest Society Members of The Rotary Foundation. 

New White Badge Status

Several members have transitioned from red badge status to white badges by completing their new member assignments. Congratulations to Lou Weiland, Sandy Holiday, Daniel Simonton, Regina Orlick (not pictured) and our Membership Chair, Jeff Esterkes! We look forward to continuing to serve alongside you.

Club Bylaws

Jeff Esterkes and PE Dan Jenkins have worked on updating our bylaws over the last couple of months and the new bylaws were shared by President Erik Bykat over e-mail for our review. We needed at least 2/3 of the members present at the meeting to vote in favor of approving the new bylaws and this was accomplished at the meeting. Thank you, Jeff and Dan for leading this important effort. 

GUEST SPEAKER

Today's guest speak was Officer Hal Schoffeit with the Alpharetta Police Department. Hal is one of the organizers of the Alpharetta Citizens Academy, a 14 week series of classes that will teach you all you wanted to know about what the police, fire department and 911 operators do every day to protect the citizens and guests of Alpharetta. Classes cover the following areas: DUI/Traffic Law, Structural Fires, Criminal Investigations, S.W.A.T., Crisis Negotiations, Auto Extrication, Rescue Task Force, Hazardous Materials, K-9, Community Relations, and CPR/AED (I guess we already know a thing or two about this one!). 

The next session begins January 8, 2026 with classes on Thursdays from 6-8 pm and some Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm. Contact Office Hal Schoffeit for an application: hshoffeitt@alpharetta.ga.us. If you'd like a citizens perspective, feel free to ask Joy - she and Bud completed the academy in 2025. 

First Thursday Social, November 6th

Join us for our First Thursday Social on November 6th, starting at 6:00 pm. This month, we will be gathering at Lucky's Burger & Brew, 1144 Alpharetta Street in Roswell. 

Peace Pole Installation and North Park Garden Work Days

Submitted by Steve Siders, Club Secretary and Project Chair for North Park Peace Garden

We are excited to refresh our Peace Garden at North Park. Join us by signing up for one or both dates. We will be focusing on North Park's garden November 8th and November 15th, 13450 Cogburn Road, Alpharetta, GA 30004. Each workday will begin at 9:30 am and the fellowship will continue afterward with lunch at CUE Barbecue (13700 Highway 9 N, Milton, GA 30004) on your own dime.

What to bring: gloves, water, wear layers.

Tools to bring if you have them: pointed shovels, flat shovels, garden rake (metal), pickaxe, utility knife, a few wheelbarrows. 

Signup here: Peace Garden Sign Up

Contact Steve with any questions: 678-488-3545

Membership: Prospecting for Rotary Lunch Guests, Part 2

In the last newsletter, we explored how Richard Matherly and Cliff Wilcox spark Rotary conversations and spot great lunch guests. This time, they're back with more insights - plus a few thoughtful reflections for members who want to extend an invite but aren't sure how. 

Can you tell us about a time you invited someone who really clicked with the club? 

Cliff: "Most of the time, they hear me speak about Rotary and approach me with interest. I invite them to be 'my guest' at a lunch meeting or Happy Hour. I don't spend the whole time with them - I want them to meet and connect with other members so they experience the quality of people in our club."

What do you say when someone hesitates or says 'maybe later'?

Richard: "'Maybe later' can be the right answer in someone's life - but it also delays the amazing benefits of Rotary. Members get involved at their own pace. Start light, but start."

Cliff: "Since we only meet twice a month, if someone can't make it this Tuesday, their schedule three weeks from now is usually open. That gives us a target."

What's your go-to tip for members nervous about inviting guests?

Richard: "Having a guest at Rotary isn't like inviting someone into your home - it's introducing them to a life experience full of opportunity. Just do it."

Cliff: "It's a free lunch, a great speaker, just an hour out of their day - and a chance to network and meet people, especially if they're building a business."

Cliff's Final Thoughts to a Prospect

* Busy but want to give back? Rotary offers scheduled events you can simply add to your calendar - just like any business meeting or family event.

* Worried about time or cost? Our club meets twice monthly for lunch, once for Happy Hour, and typically has one service project per month. It's a manageable, meaningful way to stay involved without the weekly commitment or high cost of other clubs. 

Score for Polio Plus Fundraiser

Submitted by Doug Higgins, Foundation Chair

This Halloween Weekend was filled with some wicked football games! Since high scoring teams are celebrated in our Score for Polio Plus, Michael Freeman's Chamblee High School was our winner of the week with their dominating win over Arabia Mtn, 49-3. Runner up was Thomas Nolfa's West Virginia win over Houston with a score of 45-35. Proving your team doesn't have to win the game to win for polio, the Bengals scored 42 Polio Points even though they came up short to the Bears. Collectively, your teams raised an additional $405 for Polio Plus this week, for a season-t0-date total of $4,666! Richard continues his high-scoring dominance with a total pledged of $446, Jonathan stays in second but reduces the gap with $358, Erik's Ducks had a bye, so he holds at $330 in third and Lisa's Baylor Bears gains to $304. Congratulations to all the winners this week and thanks for your tremendous support for the eradication of polio! 

Operation Christmas Child

Thank you to everyone who took a box or two for Operation Christmas Child at our meeting last week. Please bring the filled shoeboxes to our next meeting on November 11th. Instructions for filling the boxes according to gender and age groups are located inside the boxes. If you'd still like to participate in filling a box, please reach out to Joy for details at (770) 715-5422. 

Crafts, Bingo and Lunch at Milton Senior Center

On Tuesday, December 2nd, we will be volunteering our companionship to seniors in the North Fulton area by providing a craft activity, leading bingo games and providing a hot lunch at Milton Senior Center, 15690 Hopewell Road, Alpharetta, GA.

The general timeline is: 

Craft at 10:00 am

Bingo at 11:00 am

Lunch at 12:00 pm

A sign up genius will be set up once I hear back from the center director with regard to how many seniors we will be working with that day. If you have any question in the meantime, please reach out to Lisa at (770) 856-9509.

NFCC Toyland

Our club will be supporting North Fulton Community Charities Toyland again this year. Please take a look at this list and choose something to donate to make the holiday season a bit brighter for a deserving child. All donations need to be brought to our club meeting on December 9th so we can deliver to NFCC by their deadline. If you have any questions, please contact Amie at (770) 315-9974.

Companion Club Update

Reminder that our companion club meeting is November 20th at Thrive, 44 Milton Avenue, Alpharetta (located above Minnie Olivia Pizza) at 6:30 pm.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Joseph Powell, (912) 662-2246.