Our Stories
Featured Speaker  September 2026
 

FEATURED SPEAKERS: Molly Lieberman- Loop it Up

 

The House That Loop It Up Built - Video Link

 

Loop it Up: By the numbers:

  • 11,000 children reached annually

  • 32 community partners

  • “Looping literacy together” – a lifelong love of literacy

  • 37 active school gardens

 

Metro’s Partnership Impact

As a result of Metro’s support, 195 Students receive take-home gardens! The grant provided funds for maintenance and upkeep of the existing beds, which brought the total impact to 363 students!!

  • Molly’s Rebel Moment: When she was 20 years old, someone told her that she would have to marry a wealthy person in order to sustain her passion to run LIU. By sticking with it over the past 19 years, they have 25 employees now, and it’s become a huge part of our community!

 

Club Updates September 2026

GUESTS:​​​​​​

  • Rufus Aldridge Reacher consultant(Guest of Suzanne Kirk, Kristin King & Cecilia Arango) 

  • Sarah Porter National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Guest of Julie Wade)

  • Nicole Mayberry May Construction (Guest of Emily Doherty)

  • Leisel Waterford - hosting student from Korea (Guest of Tiffany Waters)

  • Rachel O’Mara with Moon Shot literacy campaign (Guest of Cari Phelps)

  • Jhovaan Reminds Resource Development UW (Guest of Jeff Braddy)

  • Melanie Ferrant T&H (member of Rotary East, Guest of Jamie Arkins & Cecilia Arango)

 

August September 1st COMMITTEE UPDATES:

  • Meeting Slides Link: Metro Club Meeting 9.1.26

  • See Calendar for all service opportunities

  • Subscribe to Metro’s Calendar: Click Here. click on Subscribe to Calendar at the bottom (Google, Apple, Outlook compatible)

  • Hope & Relief for Venezuela: Amazon Wish List 

    • Any questions? Contact Ruth Hudson 512.657.7697

 

SERVICE: See Events Calendar for all service opportunities and sign up online

  • Subscribe to Metro’s Calendar: Click Here to subscribe. 

 

GRSP/GYESE:

  • GRSP 2026-20/27 is Sarah Gomez Jordan from Colombia! 

    • We need female hosts during school vacation time. Reach out to Aaron Miller if you are interested. 

    • Arriving Thursday July 23rd at midnight! Message Ro Patrick if you want to greet her at the airport

    • Welcome reception Friday July 31st @6pm at Aaron Miller’s House RSVP HERE

RYLA:

  • Any rising HS juniors/seniors are eligible- reach out to Aaron Miller sooner than later
RYE: 

Cari Phelps shared reflections on her first w weeks hosting Ainhoa Roland from France. She loves cooking and is a senior dance major at Savannah Arts. Chelsea Dye is her counselor and took her to her first volleyball game. She thinks our license plates are all so pretty! She's been to Vinnie’s, the Telfair museum, a pirate museum. She screamed when she saw a Tesla truck because they are illegal in France. She’s been instantly welcomed into a wonderful friend group. 

 

Ro Patrick also shared that we were in jeopardy of not being able to outbound Peyton to South Korea because the host family for the student from Korea backed out at the last minute, and Tiffany reached out to Leisel who said YES!!  The fact that they got this accomplished in a matter of days is a miracle- they also got him registered at the 11th hour at Woodville Tompkins. Donguk Kim- 15 years old 10th grader. Arrival on Thursday 9/3 at 10pm. Leisel is so impressed by Metro and all the support she’s received. Brad Patrick will be his counselor.

CLASSIFICATION TALK/INDUCTION:

Torlef Borsting- Director of the Savannah Voice Festival. He moved to Savannah in January and shared that his first festival was a huge success. He shared that the best things in life have come from dark places. He had a heart attack in 2009 at 39 years of age. (He made it to the doctor who seemed to think he was fine, but after an EKG, they raced him to ICU.) The next morning he was asked to be in a commercial for the hospital group because he was the best-looking guy at the hospital! He got the VIP treatment. This is just one example of how great things always end up happening even when it’s a result of a challenge. He has two kids (14 & 10) and a wonderful wife named Cass. He has his dream job and is so grateful for how the heart attack put his life on a new track. (He was a Rotarian in FL for a year prior to moving to Savannah.)

 
 
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From the President
 

 

A Message from Our President

Welcome to Metro Savannah Rotary!
I moved to Savannah from DC in 2016, but for the first few years, I mostly experienced the city from a distance. Between remote work and constant travel, I struggled to find my footing and didn’t yet feel like I truly belonged here. That changed when I joined Metro Savannah Rotary. This club gave me something I didn’t expect: a new side of Savannah and a community of people who finally made this city feel like home.
 
Metro doesn’t just connect you to service projects, it connects you to Savannah in a way that’s hard to find anywhere else. And through Rotary International and our District, we’re part of something even bigger: a global network of people doing meaningful work around the world. Local impact, global reach. We get to do both, with people who are genuinely, ridiculously fun to be around.
 
My vision for this year is simple: Rebel with a Cause. Rooted in Rotary’s timeless motto of Service Above Self, it’s a reminder that showing up for our community doesn’t have to be buttoned-up. It can be bold, joyful, a little scrappy — and yes, a lot of fun. Around here, every idea goes through one test: Will it be ridiculously awesome? If the answer is yes, we’re in.
 
This year, we’re going to show up for Savannah and beyond like never before, make a meaningful impact on the issues that matter most to our community, and have a blast doing it.
 
If you're looking for a place to give back, make real connections, and find your people in this city — come join us. We'd love to have you.
 
Yours in Service,
Ro Patrick
President, Metro Savannah Rotary Club, 2026-2027

president@metrosavannahrotary.org

2026–2027 Board
Club Leadership
President
Ro Patrick
President Elect
Jamie Arkins
Immediate Past President
George Seaborough
Secretary
Jaimie Falzarano
Treasurer
Jasmine Mills
Chief Officer of Fun
Cecilia Arango
Legacy Project Chair
Jordan Chase
Service Chair
Ruth Hutson
Disaster Response Chair
Chelsea Sawyer
Family of Rotary
Chelsea Dye
Foundation
Whitney Shephard
Grants & Annual Service Partner Chair
Cari Phelps
Interact & Rotaract
Ben Barksdale
Youth Programs & GRSP Liaison
Aaron Miller
Membership – Retention
Florence Slatinsky
Membership – Recruitment
Emily Doherty
Programming Co Chair
Deanna Whitt
Programming Co Chair
Suzanne Kirk
Communications Co Chair
Kristin King
Communications Co Chair
Katie Fender
Communications Co Chair
Destiny Mojica-Taylor
Sergeant-at-Arms
Kat Erickson
Club Information
We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 11:45 AM
Harvest Church
5995 Waters Ave
Savannah, GA 31406
United States of America
Meetings are every 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 11:45 a.m with the program starting at noon. Additional events are listed in our calendar on the Events tab.
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