Lynn Clarke presents an incentive check to President Sandra Morris of the Carrollton Rotary Club with our student Caroline Gransbo

GRSP Student Caroline Gransbo at the State Legislature with Rotarians John and Bunny Goddard.

GEORGIA ROTARY STUDENT PROGRAM TRUSTEES

As GRSP gets closer to its 75^th year anniversary, we stop to think about our program and what makes it great. We’ve said that host families are the heart of our program, but the trustees are the brains and, like many host families, the pulse of the Georgia Rotary Student Program. Many of our Rotary leaders are not paid wages, but many at least get reimbursed for travel and many have a stipend. Most are surprised when they receive a check from the District when they had planned to donate their services.

In GRSP no one is reimbursed for their services and no one receives a stipend. All funds go towards tuition, room and board, Conclave and student weekends. Each Rotarian donates $7 towards the operation of an office in Savannah (more about this later). A few lucky host families or trustees receive a small amount from their club to help defray some of their expense. Many trustees spend hours on the road, picking up their students at the airport or driving them to student weekends. Trustees meet three times a year, sometimes in far-off Georgia locations to discuss the business of GRSP. To become a trustee, a Rotarian must have served as a host family and it is desired that they also have served as president of their club. Trustees start training at least six months before their term begins and can serve up to two terms of three years each. Trustees must have a sterling reputation, as they represent Rotary and the Georgia Rotary Student Program to the clubs they are assigned, to the students, to the families of the students and to the nations that their students come from.

GRSP trustees represent their clubs during GRSP business meetings. Because of our District 6900 trustees, we now have an incentive program that gives back funds from the GRSP Endowment to those clubs that participate in the Endowment at $50 per capita and host a student. Because of our District 6900 trustees, we now have a pilot program that may be the future of GRSP. Because of our District 6900 trustees, the GRSP Endowment will be protected from the operations of GRSP by becoming a separate entity this year. Because of 6900 District leadership after World War II, we have a program called the Georgia Rotary Student Program that is nearing 75 years in operation and have ambassadors of Georgia and the United States all over the world. District 6900 has made an impact on the program and in the world.

NEW ACCOUNTING FOR DISTRICT 6900 AND GRSP

The Georgia Rotary Student Program was the brainstorm of a Rotarian from the Thomasville Club in District 6900, Mr. Will Watt, in 1946. The program started with just three students, but as the program grew, the three districts decided that we needed an office with a staff to assist with the business of offering scholarships to students in other countries - everything from collecting applications, communicating with students and Georgia colleges, and ensuring test scores and visas. It was agreed by the three districts that each Rotarian in Georgia would donate $1.00 each year for the operation of the program. That amount changed over the years, but has stayed constant at $7.00 per Rotarian for many years now. It supports two staff members in a modest office in a tiny Savannah strip mall.

The Districts have collected those funds from each club every year as part of District dues and have then turned over those funds to GRSP to continue operations in Savannah. This year our district leadership made the decision not to collect the $7 for the 2020-21 Rotary year, but to turn over that responsibility to the Savannah office. What originally seemed like a lot of extra work for the Savannah office has actually come to be a blessing in disguise for GRSP. When District 6900 Rotarians heard, some individuals decided to make the payment themselves on behalf of their club. We have been overwhelmed by the response of many clubs who love the program. So what this means in the coming year is that 6900 clubs will be receiving billing directly from GRSP. Your bill from District will not include the $7 per Rotarian, so each club will write a separate check to GRSP.

INCENTIVE CHECKS

Congratulations are due to the Rotary Clubs of Atlanta, Atlanta Airport, Bremen, Buckhead, Carrollton, Columbus, Dunwoody, Griffin, Milton-Windward, Muscogee, North Atlanta, North Columbus, Pelham, Roswell, Senoia and Thomasville for donating more than $50 per capita to the GRSP Endowment last fiscal year and hosting a student this year. If your club donated more than $50 per capita, but did not host a student, then you will receive a credit for any future student that you might host. Each of these named clubs is being presented with an incentive check from the GRSP Endowment via their trustee. If your club is listed and you have not received your check, please call your trustee. If your club is not listed and you would like more information on how to receive a check, please contact your trustee.