Leadership
A Message From Our President
Wow Rotarians! We’ve started November with a BANG! What a great presentation from the Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger last week! Great updates on the goings on around the State and we had a packed house! Thanks to all the Rotarians who brought guests to hear this great speaker.
As we gear up for our District Governor’s visit this week, I’m reminded how fortunate we are to live in the beautiful City of Thomasville. To honor our local heroes who strive daily to keeps the citizens of this city/county safe is always one of my favorite events. And, to have our own Andre’ Marria, District Governor, join us for this makes it even special. I’m sure she will remind you all of the time we were putting hamburgers together and I told her she had no future in fast food! She loves to tell that story and usually does while we’re working!
November market will occur the weekend before Thanksgiving. What better way to give thanks than to provide food to those who so desperately need it in our community so they too can have a very Happy Thanksgiving. It warms my heart each time we have our market to pull onto Felix Street where cars line the side of the street, waiting for this important event. Last month, Angela asked one participant what time he got there. His response was 5:00! Our community waits for this every month and we are so fortunate to be able to give back in this manner.
Thank you all, Rotarians, for your continued support as we gear up for what will definitely be a November to be thankful for.
President Elect
District 6900
DISTRICT GOVERNOR’S OFFICIAL VISIT 11/9
We are looking forward to our District Governor’s official visit this Thursday! We have a full day planned with Andre’ starting with our monthly Rotary Board meeting, followed by our Honoring Local Heroes cookout, and ending the day with a special DG reception! All Thomasville Rotarians are encouraged to participate in the happenings going on this day. For more details, check out our website’s calendar of events by clicking HERE.
DO YOU REALLY KNOW ANDRE’?!
You may think you know our District Governor and fellow member Andre’ Marria, BUT here are some fun facts about her that may make for a great conversation starter when you see her this Thursday! To read her professional bio on District 6900’s site, click HERE.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR’S RECEPTION 11/9
For information on the District Governor’s Reception and Calendar Registration link, click HERE.
DISTRICT NEWSLETTER UPDATE
We were featured twice in November’s District Newsletter covering a recap of October’s Fireside Chat and mention of our club coming in as #2 District wide for highest new member retention so far this Rotary year! To view the full post and photos from last month’s Fireside Chat, click HERE. If you haven’t had a chance to read the District Newsletter this month, you can view it on District 6900’s site by clicking HERE.
SAVE THE DATE - RLI 1/14/24
RLI is coming up in January! The course is mandatory for all new members and participation is encouraged for all members. To learn more about the upcoming Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) and course schedule, click HERE.
District Conference 2024
Have you registered for District Conference, March 21-24, 2024?! Early birds get special rates! Join us as we Amplify Rotary and feature the Lady with a Song, none other than our District Governor André Marria at the beautiful Jekyll Island Convention Center. Several hotels on the island have room blocks reserved through February 21, 2024. Jekyll Island is booming, so you are encouraged to book your hotel room NOW! Once our room blocks are sold there is no guarantee that additional room nights will be added. For more information on registration, room blocks, and the conference in general, click HERE.
Foundation
The Rotary Foundation
NOVEMBER IS rotary FOUNDATION MONTH
Our Foundation chairs work tirelessly with club members to promote annual giving to the RI Foundation’s various programs and to the Georgia Rotary Student Program Foundation. Half of all funds raised by the club for the TRF return to the club three years later to be used to fund projects within our community. The remaining dollars are used by the RI foundation to support its many mission in the pursuit of peace, world understand and improvement in the quality of lives around the globe.
Rotary Club of Thomasville partners with Rotary Clubs across the globe to fund international projects through Global Grants which improve the lives of people whom we have never met who find themselves far less fortunate than we are. Most recently our projects have impacted the elderly in India and orphans in Serbia.
Each year Rotary Club of Thomasville requests funds through the District Grant process to fund local projects which primarily focus on the education of young children in Thomasville with the ultimate goal of improving the local high school graduation rate. The club also supports literacy in Thomasville through the Southwest Georgia Literacy Grant when available.
Personalized Foundation reports for each member showing their total giving to date will be distributed during November. For questions, please contact Rotarian Julie Carter.
Check out the latest “Rotary Foundation Minute’” video from our District Governor by clicking HERE.
Membership
Membership Updates
WINE OR WHINE
In an effort to grow our membership, every 1st Tuesday of the month we host a social called "Wine or Whine.” Wine or Whine is an opportunity for potential members to come and get to know Rotarians and what Rotary does not only in our community but internationally, as well. If you know of any prospective members, Wine or Whine is a great way to introduce them to Rotary while socializing in a casual setting among new and old members. If you have any questions about membership and/or this social, please reach out to Rotarian Angela Williamson.
SAVE THE DATE - WINE OR WHINE 12/5
Our next Wine or Whine social will be "ugly holiday attire" themed and held at The Business Exchange in downtown Thomasville, December 5th, 5:30PM-7PM. We encourage you to come dressed in your ugliest or funniest holiday attire! To add the event to your calendar, click HERE.
in case you missed OUT ON ALL THE FUN:
If you missed October’s Wine or Whine social, “orange” you disappointed? The theme last month was “Orange you glad you joined Rotary” and was an orange colored success! To check out the full post and fun photos, click HERE.
November’s Wine or Whine social date was moved to Thomas University’s Homecoming weekend. With so many TU alumni in our club, participating in Thomas University’s Alumni Association’s Homecoming Tailgate party did not disappoint and was a great way to show our community what we are about!To check out the full post and fun photos, click HERE.
MEMBERSHIP GUIDE
You will now find the Rotary Club of Thomasville’s Membership Guide under “Members” within the Resource Library of our website. Members must be signed into our site in order to access the Resource Library. Once signed into your account, you can view and download the guide directly by clicking HERE.
Community Services
Community Services Update
FREsh FOR YOU: Free Produce Market
Rotary Club of Thomasville made a BIG IMPACT on our community for another month in a row at our “FRESH FOR YOU - Free Produce Market” in partnership with Second Harvest of South Georgia and the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Clubs.
Due to Rotary having 2 events on the same day, a special shoutout from Hands on Thomas County was given for our tremendous efforts in the community that weekend…Thank you to all the volunteers for their hard work! To view the full post and photos, click HERE.
SAVE THE DATES:
Due to our annual Vashti Thanksgiving Rotary meeting Thursday 11/16, we will pack and sort fruit and vegetables at Second Harvest on FRIDAY 11/17 starting 11:30AM this month in preparation for the next Produce Market on Saturday 11/18. To view the calendar event, click HERE.
Our next produce market will take place this day from 8:30-10:30AM (or until we run out) at Weston Park on Felix Street. To view the calendar event, click HERE. Please reach out to Rotarian Marta Turner Jones if you are interested in volunteering for this Big Impact Community Project!
HOTC DAY 2023
Rotary's commitment to helping Hands on Thomas County "Doing Good Since 2003" continues strong, and we couldn't be prouder with our 20th year volunteering for this wonderful cause. Rotarians John Comita Jr., Copper Allen Comita, and John Kepler joined forces to make a difference at the Vashti Center for Children and Families this past month. Thank you John, John, and Copper for all your hard work! To view the full post and photos, click HERE.
A longstanding Rotary Club of Thomasville tradition, Vashti hosts our meeting the week before the holiday with a delicious Thanksgiving meal at no charge. Members are encouraged to take along a donation to Vashti this day to support their programs for children at risk. The program will be brought by David Sofferin, Executive Director of The Vashti Center. We will also be drawing the winner of this year’s Rotary raffle at the meeting this day. For questions about the raffle, please contact Rotarian Copper Comita. If you need additional tickets, please contact Rotarian Julie Carter. To view the calendar event, click HERE.
No Rotary Meeting - Happy Thanksgiving 11/23
We will have a special weekly meeting on 11/30 at The Plaza recognizing our Students of the Month and donating a giant check to The United Way of Thomas County from funds raised at this year’s annual Rotary Golf Classic. To view the calendar event, click HERE.
Thomas County Food Bank Donations Due 11/30
Thomas County Food Bank is accepting coats and blankets through November. At our 11/30 meeting, we will be collecting gently used coats, rain jackets, and donations; there will be buckets on the tables for cash and/or check donations to help the Food Bank buy coats and blankets for children. Checks should be made out to Thomas County Food Bank. If you have gently used coats to donate, please bring them to the meeting this day. Rotarian Marta Turner Jones will deliver all donations collected to the Food Bank on behalf of the club.
Youth Services
Youth Services Update
TTCSA R.E.A.D. INITIATIVE
The Rotary Club of Thomasville and Youth Services will be participating in the TTCSA READ Initiative. There will be a Literacy event fundraiser in March of 2024. We will be starting a committee and looking for club participation. We are very excited about this initiative and impact! If you are interested in joining this committee or learning more about ways to get involved, please reach out to Rotarian Chandler Giddes.
Public Image
Public Image Update
GA SECRETARY OF STATE VISIT
Last week, our club had the distinct honor of welcoming GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as our esteemed guest speaker. A remarkable journey from founding a successful business to becoming Georgia's 29th Secretary of State, Mr. Raffensperger’s dedication to secure and accessible elections was palpable in his address.
An advocate for integrity and innovation in the voting process, Secretary Raffensperger shared his achievements in modernizing Georgia's election system and emphasized the importance of accountability and voter empowerment.
For those who missed it, Thomasville Times-Enterprise featured the story this past weekend on the front page of the paper! To view and read the full article from the Thomasville Times Enterprise’s story click HERE. To view the Facebook post and see more photos, please click HERE.
members only FACEBOOK GROUP
The newly developed members only Facebook group will always be set to private. The intention of this group is to connect with members (…spouses are welcome, too) on Facebook about all things Rotary! If you have fun Rotary related stories, Rotary save the dates or upcoming events, RI, District, and/or club related announcements, and/or have Rotary photos our club can share publicly, please feel free to post or share the content here! Let's keep this "Rotary" relevant. Feel free to comment on posts and interact with one another…enjoy!
To locate the Facebook Group within Facebook, search: Rotary Club of Thomasville - MEMBERS ONLY or by clicking HERE.
