March 21, 2022
Meeting Minutes
President Shanda Vaughn rang the bell and called the meeting to order.
Jeff Flowers gave the pledge and invocation.
Bill Keough gave the Sunshine Report.
Visiting Guests: Club members introduced their guests in attendance today.
Interact Students: Interact students from the Academy of Richmond County introduced themselves and were welcomed to the meeting.
Member Highlight: Susan Everitt is this week’s Member Highlight. She is the Executive Director of the American Red Cross – East Central Georgia Office. Susan recently received a regional leadership award from the organization – congratulations, Susan! She has been a member of the Augusta Rotary since 2017 and is a legacy member as her father was also a Rotarian when she was growing up in Tennessee. She loves being of service to others while forging deeper relationships with fellow Rotarians. Susan grew up in Spring City, TN and studied English Literature in College at Sewanee: The University of the South. In addition to her amazing work with the American Red Cross, Susan also serves on the boards of Westobou, the Alzheimer’s Association, Friends of the Library, the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce, and the Sewanee Alumni Association. She recently served on the Steering Committee for Russell Joel Brown’s successful fundraising performance of “Mozart to Motown”. Susan is married to Rich Everitt, and they have one daughter, Ellen, who recently received her BA and MA from the University of Georgia. In her free time, Susan enjoys traveling, reading, and gardening. Fun fact about Susan: She and her husband are living in and restoring a 150-year-old farmhouse in Edgefield, SC. She describes it as a true labor of love! Thanks, Susan, for being a part of our Rotary Club and for making a difference in our community through the American Red Cross!
GRSP Student: No report.
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.
Big Bucks Bracket Challenge
President Shanda Vaughn reported that current standings for the March Madness bracket challenge were as follows: First Place – Rick Franza, Second Place – Stacy Tallent, Third place: Two-way tie between Bill Keough and Jimmy Richards.
Paul Harris Fellow Presentation
President Shanda announced the newest Paul Harris Fellow recipients as Tom Denlinger – PHF, Steve Hobbs – PHF+2, and John Whitwell – PHF+2. She presented Paul Harris Fellow pins to Tom Denlinger and Steve Hobbs and has pins for club members who could not attend today and will present them as soon as possible.
Guest Speaker/Program
Kevin Grogan introduced this week’s guest speaker, Major General Perry Smith. He presented on his life experiences that lead him to serving in the United States Air Force. He was just six years old and lived in Hawaii during WWII and shared his experience of Pearl Harbor Day on December 7, 1941. He retired as Major General after thirty years of service. He continued discussion with the Rotarians around issues associated with WWII and the current war in Ukraine. He provided various insights gained from historical events and addressed issues associated with Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. After his discussion, he took various questions from Rotarians and shared his insights and perspective of the U.S.’s involvement and recommended next steps for the U.S. government and what individuals can do to support Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
President Shanda Vaughn led us in reciting the four-way test and then adjourned the meeting.
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