Social Opportunity
Join Us for Thirsty Thursday This Week (and Every Week Through April) ... Online!
We have the opportunity to be distant and together tomorrow night - March 26 - with Thirsty Thursday - brought to us by Zoom! So, BYOB and join us online between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm for an opportunity to chat.
The Board used Zoom to meet Tuesday morning and it was sure good to see everyone on screen.
All you need is your computer, a camera (many are built right into the computer) and your microphone on to join this event. just go straight to https://zoom.us/j/700537258 to join the fun! Or, if you have the Zoom app on your phone or computer already, you can click Join Meeting Now and type in the meeting ID - 700 537 258
We plan to host an online Thirsty Thursday every week until we're back together. And we're looking at hosting some Friday morning "Coffee and Conversation" sessions too - watch for more next week.
Hope to SEE you Thursday.
Notice About Dues
Quarterly Dues Invoices Deferred to at Least May 1
In light of the financial hardships and uncertainties arising from the pandemic, our Board of Directors voted to defer the upcoming quarter's dues invoices until at least May 1. At that time, there will be a reduction in the quarterly dues to reflect cancellation of meetings. We will look at the situation at our April board meeting and determine the appropriate adjustment.
Serving During the Pandemic
Meeting Local Needs
Yesterday, your Board of Directors took action to support efforts to distribute food to those in need, especially school age children and their families who are not able to reach the distribution points set up by DeKalb County. We are sending a $1,500 check (roughly the money we would have spent to hold our two missed meetings in March) to Malachi’s Storehouse at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on North Peachtree Road to help them buy the food they need to keep the storehouse stocked.
Malachi’s has provided food on a weekly basis for those in need for over 20 years and are already experiencing an increasing demand. Several Dunwoody Rotarians brought this opportunity to our attention. St. Patrick's rector, the Very Reverend Richard Game, is a brand new Dunwoody Rotarian and responded to news of our donation saying, "Thank you so much! We are so very grateful to the Dunwoody Rotary Club for its great generosity!"
Ways You Can Help
- Should you wish to contribute on your own to this cause, checks should be made out to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church with “Malachi’s” in the memo line. Checks should be mailed to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 4755 North Peachtree Rd, Dunwoody GA 30338.
- If you see other needs in the community during this pandemic, contact Cathie Brumfield or Kobelah Bennah, our Community Service Director
- If you need help, contact Cathie Brumfield or any Dunwoody Rotarian.
Governors Ball Update
Ball Postponed; Raffle Suspended
As most of you know by now, we have at least postponed the Governors Ball given the Coronavirus pandemic. There will be no Mardi Gras celebration this Saturday night at the Dunwoody Country Club. We hope to do something later in the year and will keep you up to date.
Admission Fees for the Ball: We will be returning all guest fees for attending the ball; some of those refunds are already in process and we are working on the rest. For now, since we may have an event later in the year, we will be holding on to the $250 per couple that each Rotarian paid through dues. We will keep you informed about that money as we move forward.
Raffle Suspended: We are suspending the Harry Styles concert ticket raffle and will return the money to those who purchased tickets. Given all that has happened with regard to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, we believe this is the right action to take because of uncertainty about how long the pandemic will affect social gatherings and whether the concert will take place as planned. As a result, there will be no drawing this Saturday, March 28.
- If you purchased tickets online, we will be refunding your money for tickets purchased some time in the next month or so.
- If you signed a list that circulated at our meeting a few Fridays ago saying you would buy tickets, note that those purchases have not yet been processed on your
behalf. You haven’t been charged for these tickets and won’t be receiving a refund.
We will continue to monitor the pandemic and possibilities this concert will take place – afnd may in fact restart the raffle at a later date. If we do, you know I will let you know.
Auction Items: Many of you have donated or procured items for the live and silent auctions. At the moment, we are evaluating the possibility of an online auction and will keep you posted.
Thank you for your support and understanding on this. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Serving During the Pandemic
Dunwoody Making a Difference in Italy
As you may know, the Rotary Club of Dunwoody (RCD) is partnering with the Rotary Clubs in Cesena and Valle del Savio, Italy to assist dementia and Alzheimer’s victims An additional grant partner is the University of Bologna psychology department who is developing unique software for use by those with Alzheimer’s. RCD is the International partner in sponsoring this Rotary Foundation Global Grant which provided equipment and training for the staff of assisted living and nursing home facilities.
During the current lockdown in Italy, the equipment provided by the grant has helped the residents of these facilities to connect with their families and the outside world. Click "more" to see additional pictures and learn more about our Italian global grant. [more]
GRSP Update
Yemariam Moves in with Aunt in Atlanta
Last week, our GRSP student Yemariam Workneh and the Oglethorpe student population were advised that the dorms would be closing on Sunday, March 22. For now, Yemariam will be staying with an aunt here in the Atlanta area.
Big thanks to Kobelah Bennah for agreeing to pick up Yemariam's dorm supplies on Sunday afternoon and bring them to my garage for storage.
With the Coronavirus pandemic, many of the GRSP students have left for home or are making plans to head home early.