District Conference Recognition

At District Conference last month, Rotary Club of Thomasville was recognized in several areas, thanks to your hard work throughout the year.
Per Capita Giving to GRSP: As the birthplace of the Georgia Rotary Student Program, it has always been important for our club to support GRSP with financial contributions. This year, Thomasville earned top per capita giving among large clubs (with more than 100 members) and earned the GRSP Jake Cheatham Award with 100% giving to GRSP. We've earned this recognition for many years as we maintain our 100% giving rate. Kudos to all our members for their donations and to our GRSP Chair Debbie Goodman.
Thomasville was also recognized as an All-Star achiever finalist in four of six areas of service that the District Governor identified as most significant this year. Our All-Star finalist recognitions were:
- Peace Pole: We will place specially designed peace poles in historic Paradise Park and at Olmapinu School in Kenya, in connection with the club's recently approved Rotary International global grant project.
- Club Fundraiser: The club held its inaugural online auction of high-end items to raise funds to support our Big Impact projects. Again, thanks to your help – donating items, asking friends to donate, sharing the auction among your friends and families, and bidding on or buying items – we raised more than $30,000 and netted $25,000. It was a phenomenal fundraiser that I am happy our team was recognized for.
- Member Engagement: To expand members' engagement level and improve board succession, we filled assistant officer and director deputy positions with a combination of new and experienced members. We also built advisory boards for finance, tradition, and event support. These teams have positively impacted our club and helped set the foundation for continued development within our club.
- World Polio Day: Foundation Chair Carol Jones presented a history of polio and the dramatic impact of the vaccine on World Polio Day, Thursday, Oct. 24. She also brought a guest speaker who shared his experience as a child with polio who now has adult polio syndrome. Additionally, our members Walter and André Marria traveled to India to help administer polio vaccines to children.
As we close out this Rotary year, I am proud of all that our club has accomplished, and these district-wide recognitions serve to highlight the service our Rotarians put into the community.
Posted by Marta Jones-Turner
May 7, 2025