No Meeting This Week
Join Us for Thirsty Thursday This Week! And Plan to Hear a Great Speaker Next Friday!
While there's no Rotary meeting this Friday morning, you can still see some of your favorite Dunwoody Rotarians at Thirsty Thursday this week! Join us on the patio at Marlowe's Tavern in Dunwoody Village between 5 pm and 7 pm. And think about bringing a friend or business associate who might be interested in the Rotary Club of Dunwoody!
And be sure to set your alarm for next Friday - September 27 - when we'll hear from David Lee Windecher. David is a trailblazing orator, author and lawyer in the growing movement to end mass incarceration and redress racial inequity in the criminal justice system. In his autobiography The American Dream/HiSstory in the Making, David shares the harsh realities of growing up as an impoverished immigrant on the streets of Miami-Dade County. He was arrested 13 times and spent over 7 months incarcerated as a juvenile. He dropped out of high school and joined a gang for protection. His street name was “Red.” David endured the brutal climate of the lawlessness on the streets by both criminals and the police. All the while he dreamed of becoming a lawyer and fighting for those who don’t have the resources to pay for justice.
Hope to see you at Thirsty Thursday this week and at our meeting next Friday!
Rotary Youth Exchange
Keep Up with Our Outbound Student Daniela
As you all know, we sponsored Daniela Sanchez as an outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student for the 2019-2020 school year. Daniela is in South Korea and has written about her experience in a blog post: http://www.ryeflorida.org/2019-20-daniela-south-korea. Please check it out - we hope everyone will keep up with Daniela on her adventure in Korea!
And remember to see me if you'd like to be part of Dunwoody's Rotary Youth Exchange team!
Fellowship Opportunity
Help Us Welcome Our New GRSP Student!
It is time to officially welcome our GRSP student – Yemariam Workneh from Ethiopia. We will be having a party to officially welcome her on Sunday, September 22 from 3 PM to 7 PM at the home of Bill and Les Woulfin. This welcome event is a long-standing Dunwoody tradition - and a great way to spend some time with the Dunwoody Family of Rotary too!
Everyone is invited – Rotarians, partners, children. All we ask is that you contact me, Ed Holliday – with the following information:
- Number of people attending (if you, your spouse and your three children are coming, please tell me five people when you respond)
- What you will be bringing - an appetizer, side dish (we have plenty of salads) or a dessert. In any case, plan on bringing enough to serve eight people
The club supplies the beer/wine/soft drinks, while Bill and Les Woulfin generously supply the entrée. Please RSVP to me at eholliday1031@gmail.com .
In summary:
- What: GRSP Welcome party
- When: Sunday, September 22, 2019
- Time: 3 PM to 7 PM
- Location: 5013 Forestglade Court, Stone Mountain, GA 30087-1316
End Polio Now
Join the District for World Polio Day at the CDC - October 24
Space is limited - you can RSVP to PDG Bob Hagan (BHagan@sterling-health.com) or to Yamin Farhat (yaminfarhat@yahoo.com) RSVPs are due by October 15 and must include your name exactly as it appears on your driver's license or a federal/state ID, your daytime phone, email address, your Rotary connection and indication of whether you are a US citizen. If you are not a US citizen, RSVPs are due by September 27.
Thanks for Your Service
Dunwoody Rotarians Thank the Troops at USO
Last Friday, several Dunwoody Rotarians and family members traveled to the USO at the Atlanta Airport to greet and thank our military personnel. We served lunch and shared cookies and conversations with recent Fort Benning grads and veterans. Thanks in particular to Charlie Augello for getting food donations. We plan to return to the USO in the spring - let me know if you'd like to join us in this effort.
Member Spotlight
Ardy Bastien, Our President Elect
Last Friday, we had the opportunity to learn more about Ardy Bastien, our President-Elect.
Ardy was born in New York City. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He continued on to obtained his Juris Doctorate (JD) and Masters of Laws (LLM) in Transnational Business Practice. Ardy has studied in various places of the globe, including the University of Madrid; the University of Avignon; Salzburg, Austria, and Cuernavaca Mexico. He has worked in Barcelona, Spain at the prestigious firm known as Bufete Mullerat & Roca.
Ardy talked about his childhood visits to Haiti. "I have a vivid memory of being in Haiti and seeing a House down the street from where I stayed which was labeled with the Rotary Wheel. That organization - which I would later learn in life was Rotary - was known for providing service to others and getting things done. It was in a neighborhood called Carenage in Cap Haitian."
Ardy moved to Atlanta in 2008 where he opened up his own practice in collaboration with other attorneys. He mainly represents individuals who are injured or died as a result of the negligence and malpractice of individuals or corporations. He also represents individuals facing criminal charges and/or infractions. Ardy began his exposure to criminal law at the Queens County District Attorney’s office. Additionally, his Masters of Laws in business practice enables him to counsel on transactional matters.
When Ardy is not busy practicing law or serving the community, he enjoys spending time with his family. He mostly enjoys the outdoors, running (the photo here is from July 4 when Ardy joined us in Dunwoody after running the Peachtree), sailing, cycling and golfing. Ardy has a passion for listening and playing music with friends. But most of all, he loves to get to know new people and new places.
Why Rotary? "Rotary to me brings people that are like minded to grow and do good." He's looking for all ideas about ways we can grow and do good in our community this coming year.
From Our District Governor
How You Can Help the Victims of Hurricane Dorian
We have now had time to assess how District 6900 will collectively approach the disaster relief effort from Hurricane Dorian.Our team has met and talked with both FODAC www.fodac.org – CEO and Rotarian Chris Brand and MAP International www.map.org – CEO and Rotarian Steve Stirling.Please check their websites for information about these organizations.
We would encourage you and your clubs to donate to the District 6900 Charitable Fund as we raise money to support both of these Georgia organization’s efforts to assist victims of Dorian. YOU MAY DONATED DIRECTLY ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE BY CLICKING ON THE DISASTER RELIEF CONTRIBUTION button at the top of the web page.This will allow you to use your credit card or PayPal to contribute any amount.You will receive an email reply thanking you for your donation to our 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
FODAC is providing donated medical supplies and equipment but they need money to pay packing and shipping cost. We will receive feedback from FODAC telling us how our money is being spent, and information about where our shipments are going and who the end user of the supplies is.Chris Brand, Past President of the Rotary Club of Stone Mountain has told us he is available for Rotary Club Programs or “pre-programs” of five minutes to tell us about their efforts in the Dorian Disaster relief effort. Contact Chris through the FODAC website.
Steve Sterling, MAP International, is a Rotarian in the Atlanta Rotary Club. MAP International is providing medical packs of medicines approved by the World Health Organization for disaster areas - IEHK (Interagency Emergency Health Kit).These packs cost $15,000.Additionally, MAP provides for other needs including water filters for families using the Sawyer 5-gallon bucket filters – these cost $10 each. Further, they provide Uzima backpack water kits that hold several gallons of water and have a filter built in – these cost $35.During the past weeks since Dorian, MAP International has provided 884 filters to the Bahamas. MAP International is also available for Rotary Club programs. Please contact MAP through its website.