July 18, 2022
Meeting Minutes
President Faye Hargrove rang the bell and called the meeting to order.
Linda Johnson gave the pledge and invocation.
Connie Melear gave the Sunshine Report today.
Club members introduced their guests in attendance today.
Announcements
- Please continue to sign in each week so that we have a record of attendance.
- The United Way is hosting their “stuff the bus” drive this week and anyone wishing to participate should reach out to Brittany Burnett.
- Congratulations to Kayla Cooper for being named a part of the University of Georgia Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022.
CART: President Faye asked everyone to please continue to contribute to the blue buckets on the table or online at mycartfund.org using the same login credentials you use with DACDB. During the last Rotary year we donated $17,262.55 to CART.
SAVE THE DATES
- August 18 will be Rotary Night at the Augusta Greenjackets Game
Program
Matt Aiken came forward and introduced our guest speaker, Mr. Cliff Richards, President and CEO of the Hale Foundation. The Hale Foundation’s mission is to serve people suffering from substance abuse and to help them recover so they can return to society as productive members.
The Foundation currently operates five houses on Walker Street and five apartments in downtown Augusta. It has also created Valor Station which provides recovery services to first responders who are suffering from PTSD, substance abuse, or other mental health issues.
The Foundation currently houses 55 men who are either mandated or volunteer to participate in a 12 month program. Participants in the program are expected to work in order to meet the financial costs of the program. There are several local business who have worked with the Foundation to provide employment for the residents. Howard Lumber and Augusta Door and Sash have been long term partners and currently fifty percent of their employees are either an alumni or actively enrolled in the program.
The Foundation has a $1 million annual budget with approximately half of that coming from the fees paid by the residents. The other half of the budget is made up of grants and other financial support provided by individuals and groups. When asked how Rotary could help, Mr. Richards indicated they are always in need of financial support and prayers for the program and its participants.
Before closing, Mr. Richards updated the club on the status of a piece of property it owns in South Augusta. The property was acquired by the Foundation and was an ideal facility for Valor Station. However, public opposition by the neighboring residents have all but ended this as a possibility. The most likely scenario now is for the Foundation to sell the property and use the proceeds to invest in a new location.
President Faye reminded the club that she is still looking for volunteers for our Peace Through Scouting initiative and anyone interested in participating should contact her. She then led us in reciting the four-way test and adjourned the meeting.
Easy links to pages on our website
Rotary schedule of meeting dates and speakers
Member Proposal Form
Online directory - Find a member or update your information
Bulletins - Weekly bulletins from 2014-current
