April 25, 2022
Meeting Minutes
President Shanda Vaughn rang the bell and called the meeting to order.
David Hudson gave the pledge and invocation.
Brenda Durant 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 Rotary Golf Tournament is May 3rd. Sign-up sheets are on the table and an email has been sent to club members to register online. There will not be a meeting on Monday May 2nd because of the golf outing.
- Past President Dustin Young updated the Club on a project being held by the Rotary Club of Claxton to deliver used school furniture to schools in Haiti. Our Club is being asked to raise or contribute $3,000 to offset the cost of shipping the furniture. Dustin reported that he has donations in hand and pledges that total $3,000 and thanked the members for their generous support.
- The speaker on May 9th will be Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger.
- President Shanda called on Susan Everett who invited everyone to participate in the annual Sound the Alarm project hosted by the Red Cross to install smoke detectors in homes. This year, the project will benefit the residents of Hephzibah, GA. Volunteers will be trained to install the detectors and the entire project should take 4-5 hours of time.
- Congratulations to Sue Parr and Tom Clarke for being recognized in the 2022 Most Influential Persons edition of the James Magazine.
- Congratulations to Judge Carl Brown for being awarded the Distinguished Citizens Award by the Boy Scouts of America. Our club made a donation of $1,000 to the Boy Scouts in his honor.
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.
District Conference
District Governor and club member Ed Presnell invited everyone to the upcoming District Conference being held Friday April 29 – Sunday May 1 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Augusta. Our goal is to have 25 members of the club in attendance with 9 members already signed up. He reminded the Club that registration is free, however, there is a cost for meals. We need both participants and volunteers to assist with the meeting.
Interact
President Shanda called on Maria Darley and the members of the Aquinas High School Interact Club to come forward. She presented Ms. Darley with the charter for this new club and thanked both Dora Hogg and Jerry Rogers for their help establishing the club.
SAVE THE DATES
- Annual Golf Tournament-Tuesday, May 3, 2022
- New Member Orientation – May 17, 2022 4:30-5:15
GRSP Update
Our GRSP student, Kaushini Pathirana, presented her year-end review of her time with the Club and as a student of Augusta University.
Kaushini gave a wonderful and entertaining recap of her year with us. She shared many of the activities she was able to attend including concerts, football games, beach trips, holiday celebrations, cultural events, plays, and the Masters Tournament.
In addition to the many events she attended, Kaushini was most appreciative of the time she was able to spend with her fellow GRSP students across the state. During the year, she participated in Student Weekends in St. Simons Island, Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Pelham, and Camden County. These weekends allowed her to form lasting bonds with students from all over the world.
Kaushini thanked her host families, the Jernigans and the Guptas, for their hospitality. She also thanked DG Ed Presnell and A.K. Gulati for their support over the last year.
Guest Speaker/Program
Dr. Paul Dainer introduced our guest speaker Dr. Stephen Letchford with Banda Health.
Dr. Letchford discussed how his company Banda Health supports 70 clinics in Kenya by providing software tools and systems that help them reduce cost and operate more efficiently.
Bandas is the Swahili word that means makeshift shelter which describes most of the clinics in that area. By helping to automate the operations for the clinic, the clinic is able to provide better care for the citizens. Inventory systems help control medications and supplies which are prone to theft or loss if kept using manual systems. Patient information becomes more readily available allowing doctors to perform their jobs better.
When dealing with an underserved and impoverished population, is it vital that services be provided at the lowest possible cost, otherwise patients will not seek care until it is too late. Banda helps make critical care affordable.
Banda’s team of programmers work in Nairobi, Kenya allowing them to work directly with clinics and be more responsive to their needs.
He closed his presentation by taking questions from the audience.
President Shanda led us in reciting the four-way test and then 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
