March 14, 2022
Meeting Minutes
President Shanda Vaughn rang the bell and called the meeting to order.
Linda Johnson gave the pledge and invocation.
Richard Rogers gave the Sunshine Report.
Visiting Guests: Club members introduced their guests in attendance today.
Interact Students: There were no interact students in attendance today.
Member Highlight: Dr. AK Gulati is an Emeritus Professor at the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. AK joined the Augusta Rotary Club in 2016 after learning about Rotary through fellow Rotarians serving with him on the board of the American Red Cross. AK Grew up in New Delhi, India, and moved to the U.S. at 19 to pursue his higher education. He moved to Augusta in 1984 to join the faculty of the Department of Anatomy at the Medical College of Georgia. After retiring with 30 years of service, he has continued to teach neuroscience and anatomy at the Dental College of Georgia. AK is married to Nidhi, a physician, and they have two adult children: their daughter, Priya, and son, Akash. Ak serves with several organizations including the American Red Cross, the Indo-American Cultural Association, and the Hindu Temple Society. In his free time, AK enjoys reading, watching movies, cooking and travelling. The most interesting places he’s traveled have been the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon jungle. Here are two fun facts about AK: he was the West Virginia State Distance Frisbee Champion, and he was in the hotel and restaurant business for years. Thank you, AK for being a part of our Rotary Club and for making a difference in our community!
GRSP Student Update: Our GRSP student, Kaushini Pathirana is a student at Augusta University studying Cyber Security and Criminal Justice. Please contact Susan Jernigan or Surenda Gupta if you have ideas for things she can be a part of.
Announcements:
President Shanda asked members to please continue to sign in each week so that we have a record of attendance.
District Conference
President Shanda reminded members of the Rotary District Conference that will be Friday, April 29, 2022 – Sunday, May 1, 2022 at the Marriott in downtown Augusta.
Committee Updates
The CART Committee will meet today immediately following the club meeting.
New Member Orientation
The new member orientation scheduled for April 19, 2022 from 4:30pm-5:30pm.
CART
President Shanda 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. This inside challenger for this week is Daniel Rhodes and the outside challenger is Rhodes Law Firm.
Unite in the Fight Against Cancer
Paul Dainer announced that the Unite in the Fight Against Cancer fundraising event is a 1.5 mile walk that raises funds to support patients of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. The event will be Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 11am.
Run the Runway 5K
Denise Vickers announced that the Run the Runway 5K fundraising event is a 5K run on the runway of the Augusta Regional airport that raises funds to support Forces United. The event will be Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 8am.
Big Bucks Bracket Challenge
Denise Vickers announced that the club will be holding a March Madness bracket challenge and more details will be sent out to members via email.
Service Projects
President Shanda Vaughn reported that all can tops have been turned into the Ronald McDonald House. Thanks to all Rotarians who donated!
New Member Induction
Rick Franza introduced our new member Freda Baker. Welcome to the club, Freda!
James Heffner introduced our new member Steve Chalker. Welcome to the club, Steve!
Dee Baird introduced our new member Kat Sanders. Welcome to the club, Kat!
Paul Harris Fellow Presentation
President Shanda announced the newest Paul Harris Fellow recipients as Jonathan Powell – PHF+1, George Williams, Jr. – PHF+1, and Steve Hobbs – PHF+2. She has pins for club members who could not attend today and will present them as soon as possible.
Guest Speaker/Program
Dustin Young introduced this week’s guest speaker, Debby Kalliokoski. Debby presented on RISE Augusta, Inc., which was formerly known as Communities in Schools, and shared information about the organization with the club. The organization strives to assist underserved children in their learning and development so that they can rise above adversity, stay in school, and achieve in life. The organization currently works in three schools within Richmond County to support children in their learning. Recently, the organization has strategically focused on literacy through various programs. One program relates to a free book fair to allow students to have free books to take home with them to encourage reading. Our Rotary Club recently participated in a book drive to donate books to the organization. In the coming months, the organization will be moving into its new location within the HUB for Community Innovation located in the Harrisburg community. This move will continue to enhance the organization’s service delivery to underserved children in our community.
President Shanda Vaughn led us in reciting the four-way test and then adjourned the meeting.
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