Committee Reports
President Jessica Pedigo announced the next service project will be participation in the Great Savannah Clean-up on March 27 on Skidaway Road. Jessica also reported that District Governor Steve Barnes has secured 250,000 medical masks. If you know an organization that can use them, please let her know. On behalf of Foundation Committee Chair Patrick Phelps, Jessica announced that the club reached its Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) foundation donation goal and was extremely appreciative since it may be the only "official" Rotary thing we accomplish in a pandemic year!
Daniel Weiner announced that Bret Bell will provide an update on the City of Savannah’s arena project at the next meeting. He reminded everyone that we now have our standing Social the fourth Tuesday of the month at Starland Yard and that based on member feedback from our meeting in December, people wanted to rotate to different restaurants for a lunch meeting, so we will be doing that the fifth Tuesday when that occurs (which it does in March!). Daniel will be sending out an invite soon to get a headcount for the lunch to determine a location. Stay tuned and please respond in a timely manner!
Daniel was presented with an award and a Metro-branded bicycle helmet in recognition of his service to the club. He also received his Paul Harris Fellow + 1 pin. Daniel invited everyone to come see him in Arizona.
Guests
Meagen Burrows (New Members Program)
Destiny Mojica-Taylor (New Members Program)
Chelsea Sawyer (Via Zoom)
Galen McDonald was the guest of Daniel Weiner
Classification Talk: Destiny Mojica-Taylor
Destiny gave a classification talk explaining her job at SC Datacom, where she works in business development. She said the firm is a physical security innovation company, which specializes in access control, intrusion detection, and closed-circuit TV for commercial businesses. The company is woman- and veteran-owned. Destiny said she jokes that her goal is to “make security sexy.” She graduated from Valdosta State University with a bachelor’s degree in international business and a concentration in marketing. She’s a foodie and loves visiting restaurants in Savannah and Hilton Head. See attached presentation for pictures of Destiny being a foodie and having fun with her husband.
Featured Speakers: Lois Modell and Corey Brooks of the Savannah Center for Blind and Low Vision
Lois said the Savannah Center for Blind and Low Vision's clients, who are referred by physicians, are losing their vision because of illness, stroke, injuries, or any other conditions that cause vision loss. When the prognosis suggests they will lose their vision within a couple of years, there’s a definite path they are going down and the center, in essence, teaches them to be blind. They teach both techniques for accomplishing daily tasks and help them build confidence. She said the center is the first in the state to have an orientation mobility training sidewalk, which allows clients to hone their skills in a secure environment before learning to navigate on streets downtown.Corey talked about his experience as a student at the Center and as a member of the board of directors. He gave some first-hand examples of how being a student had allowed him to lead a productive life when he started losing his vision in his 40s. They not only teach you how to walk with a cane but also day-to-day tasks like using a computer without a mouse and cooking at home. He shared some reactions and experiences participants have had at the center’s annual Dining in the Dark event, and encouraged people to attend when it returns next year. Overall, he said if you know of anyone who needs the services they provide to please get them in touch with CBLV as it is a state-of-the-art program that can be life changing.
We are nine!
The meeting wrapped up with the announcement that Metro Rotary turned nine on March 13. We not only survived but thrived being a non-traditional club and other clubs still think we are the young, cool club. To celebrate, Cecilia brought cupcakes for everyone.
