It's hard to believe it is April already - and but for COVID-19, we would all be gathering for District Conference in SanDestin to celebrate another year of fellowship and making a difference in our communities and the world. We will look to celebrating in SanDestin in August, but until then it's important to continue with the actions we've been involved in all year, and to reflect on our purpose and impact. That said, I'd like to focus on two important events - one calling us to action, the other to reflection.

As you have no doubt heard and can read below, on March 26, an EF4 Tornado came through the historic residential district of Newnan, Georgia - with winds reaching as high as 170 mph and a path seven miles long that caused catastrophic damage. The storm damaged about 1800 homes - 300 of those were left uninhabitable. The city’s low to moderate income residential area received major damage, as did two local schools. 

The Newnan Rotary Club is helping lead the recovery effort, which Club President Garnet Reynolds describes as a long journey. We can all help - with financial contributions and by joining the volunteer effort. District 6900 is encouraging donations to our disaster relief fund so that we can help support Newnan's needs. Please read Garnet's article below and think about how you - as a club or an individual - might want to make a contribution toward restoring "normal" in this hard hit community. It's exactly the kind of effort that we as Rotarians were meant to tackle.

I'd also like to mention an upcoming May event sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Fulton - the virtual celebration of the National Day of Prayer. In its 19th year, this North Fulton event allows for multi-denominational perspectives and reflection. And it also allows a celebration of people who identified a need and acted to make a difference - in this case from the perspective of keynote speaker Janine Maxwell, Co-Founder and COO of Heart for Africa - an organization we have worked with for years to changes the lives of children and communities in Eswatini, Africa.