Events

Metro's own Bret Bell was appointed City Manager of Tybee Island in September 2024. For the previous 18 years, he served in various positions for the City of Savannah, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Information Officer, Assistant to the City Manager, and Public Information Director. He’s a Charter Member of Metro Rotary. 

Read United Day 2025

Read United is one of United Way’s programmatic responses to the promotion of Early Childhood Literacy in our region. Read United Day is the hallmark event, an initiative that seeks to increase access to books for every child in Pre-K through second grade in our region. The program focuses on children in these lower grade levels because we recognize that an early response to the literacy gap that exists in homes of many low-income households can enable children in these homes to succeed.

When is it?

Read United Day 2025 will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 and will cover Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty and Long Counties.

This event will place community leaders and volunteers in classrooms to read to over 19,000 children across our five-county footprint in Pre-K through 2nd Grades. The books the volunteers read to the students will be gifted to the teacher in that classroom to keep for their classrooms.

Students in Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, and Long Counties will each receive a book to take home with them to build up their home libraries.

NEW this year: In lieu of books, students in Chatham County will receive special cards which will give them access to multiple books on any given day to expand their reading skills throughout the year and ability to participate in year-round programs!

How does Metro Rotary support Read United?

Our club donate funds to Read United each year. In addition, as January’s line up of service projects, we are asking Metro members to volunteer at the school of your choosing and read a book to an assigned classroom, and distribute either a book or cards to the students, depending on which county you are reading in.

*All books and materials are provided!*

Volunteers -- here's what to expect:

• Please sign up DIRECTLY at this link with United Way for 30-minute time slot. Book early so you get the school and time(s) of your choosing!  
• United Way team will send a confirmation “Before you Go” e-mail with details to include: time, location, classroom, teacher's name, etc. (plus any other details!) before the big day
• Upon arrival to the school, you will receive a United Way Volunteers lanyard and a bag full of goodies for the classroom.
• Each classroom will have a hardback book for the volunteer to read (and then leave with the teacher) and enough books for the kids if reading to Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, or Long Counties, or special collateral for the students in Chatham County.
• Read and entertain the students as you feel comfortable, and once completed, the volunteer will then distribute the books or the cards to the kids (everyone loves this part!).
• Since each time slot is only 30 min., we ask if you are able, to sign up for multiple slots at the same school (for example, 8:30AM, 9:00AM, and 9:30AM). Each time slot = 1 service credit; 3 credits max.  Email Ro to receive credit. 

Join us at Lone Wolf for the first Metro social of 2025! 

Join us on a field trip to the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum on a guided tour with Vaughnette Goode-Walker! 

Note: Registration and ticket purchase ($11.63) required. There will be no lunch provided on our field trip. 

Join us for Metro Monday at Emmaus House!

Our recurring monthly service project to assist with the soup kitchen at Emmaus House every 2nd Monday of each month.  This service project is for adult volunteers. Minors 13 and up can volunteer accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Volunteer guidelines: https://unitedministriessavannah.org/volunteer-guidelines 

Details coming soon! 

Join us for Metro Monday at Emmaus House!

Our recurring monthly service project to assist with the soup kitchen at Emmaus House every 2nd Monday of each month.  This service project is for adult volunteers. Minors 13 and up can volunteer accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Volunteer guidelines: https://unitedministriessavannah.org/volunteer-guidelines 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!