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Announcements Metro Inducts 2020/21 Board The Metro Savannah Rotary Club recently inducted its new slate of leadership for the 2020/2021 year at the July 14 club meeting and is proud to announce its new Club President, Jessica Pedigo. The 2020/2021 board includes President – Jessica Pedigo (SterlingSeacrest Partners), President Elect – Cecilia Arango (Thomas & Hutton), Treasurer – Cody Tharpe (Tharpe Engineering), Secretary – Will Gruver (Jan-Pro of SC/GA Coast), Sergeant at Arms – Daniel Weiner (Handyman Service Experts), Service Chair – Jordan Chase, Communication Chair – John Bennett (Georgia Bikes), Membership Chair – Cari Phelps (Clark Creative Communications), and Foundation Chair – Patrick Phelps (Hansen Architects, P.C.) Family of Rotary Chair – Jasmine Mills (Salacia Salts) and Immediate Past President –Bret Bell (City of Savannah). Pictured above are the 2020-2021 board members photographed from a safe distance. We have a knack for P.A.C.K. For our July service project, we helped pack at P.A.C.K. Savannah, which helps multiple organizations in Savannah pack supplies and food, and currently distributes around 10,000 bags of food to local children each month. On July 28, Metro Rotarians “packed” the warehouse to help put together meal kits and back to school packs for our community’s schools and neighbors. What an amazing organization we’re proud to support. See all the school supplies? A big pat on the back to our members who helped make back to school easier for the kids. Let's get ready to rumble, Metro Maniacs! New board, new shenanigans! Introducing 2020’s METRO MANIA! With Covid and our lack of in-person meetings, our focus on engagement is important more than ever. METRO MANIA’s goal is to keep us engaged, while having fun (wrestler-style), by collecting points through the Rotary year. Each of you have been assigned to a team - The Grisly Misfits, The Doomsday Devils, The Piledriver Posse, and The Mighty Mighty Bruised Bones with color-coordinated bandanas. At each meeting, we'll bounce the Reigning Champ (the team that’s has the most points). Come up with a your alter ego wrestling name, a team catchphrase, and don your best festive costume and let’s see which team collects the most points at the end of the year.	Announcements	John Bennett	2020-07-30 04:00:00Z
Featured Speakers Coach Shawn Quinn spoke to us about the Savannah State University Tigers football team at our July 21 meeting. Quinn became the 26^th head football coach at SSU in March 2019. Only the second head coach in the program’s 100 plus year history to post a winning record in an inaugural coaching season, he described the tactics he uses to keep his team motivated and focused on their goals. Quinn also answered question about the team’s move from Division I to Division II, and his efforts to recruit players from Savannah and Coastal Georgia. The native of Chicago also talked about living on Tybee and riding his bicycle around the island to relax. Prior to being selected head coach, he served as interim head football coach at Savannah State from December 2018-March 2019. He was hired by the Tigers in February of 2018 as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Photo courtesy of Savannah State University Athletics	Featured Speakers	John Bennett	2020-07-30 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Brags, Finds, and Whines You don't have to build your own finder. We've got your Brags, Finds, and Whines right here. Cari Clark Phelps announced that Salacia Salts has been in business for nine years! Erika Morrow was featured in Savannah Magazine Ariana Berksteiner is featured in the United Way of the Coastal Empire's Women Who Rule campaign. Bret Bell the 2019/2020 club awards. Best Attendance: Jamie Arkins Best Volunteer: Daniel Weiner Donna Shalala Making Rotary Awesome Award: Cari Clark Phelps Sir Kenneth Fung Ping-Fan Award: Cody Tharpe Rotarian of the Year: Sam Carroll Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to johnreidbennett@gmail.com in order to be included in Repeats.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	John Bennett	2020-07-30 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Julie Wade and Jordan Chase invited Rotarians to a fundraising party to support fellow Metrotarians running for office - Denise Grabowski for District 1 school board and Lee Perry for County Tax Commissioner. The event was Tues, March 3 from 5:30-7:00 at the Wade's residence and was limited to Metrotarians and spouses/partners. This was not an official Metro event. Erika Morrow announced an event called What She Wants that will take place on April 4 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at ForSight. Local makers will be there and it's free to the public. Mike Nadeau announced it's race season! Look forward to the Cure for Cancer Komen Race, Publix Women's Half (use code CECILIA10 for 10% discount off registration), and Make-a-Wish Trail Run. Jenny Woodruff gave a shout-out to Mike Nadeau and Fleet Feet for getting some new running shoes so she can chase her son around. Bret Bell gave a shout-out to Suzy Wallace for transporting our GRSP student around and connecting her to Darron Alvord for dental work. Cari Clark Phelps gave a shout-out to Patrick Phelps, Cody Tharpe, and Jason Somers for their project, Perry Lane Hotel, as the host hotel for the American Idol filming Jamie Arkins announced that Sarah Smith was on the cover of Ardsley Park Living Orlando Montoya is looking for a room to rent, ideally near Abercorn, ideally someone professional - perhaps a property management situation. If you know of anything, please let him know! Orlando Montoya will present a message on themes of personal risk taking, starting anew, and personal transformation at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Savannah on Sunday, March 15 at 11 AM. Cecilia Arango is hosting Literary Leaders, a book club focusing on leadership skills. The event takes place on April 2nd at Southbound Brewing from 5:00-7:00 PM. Grab a copy of Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" and join the discussion.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2020-03-03 05:00:00Z
Announcements THIS IS HOW WE DO IT! Montell Jordan wrote a hit song in the 90s, wanna hear it? Hear it go! *"Honeys in the street say, "Metro, yo we made it!* *You gotta get your groove on, before you go get paid* *So tip up your cup and throw your hands up* *And let me hear you all say EREY"* As a Club, we pledged 100% club participation to have Every Rotarian Every Year - meaning each Rotarian contributes at least $100. Thank you all for making it happen and a big shout out to Patrick Phelps for herding all the cats! VOLUNTEER FOR ANNUAL SERVICE PARTNER SELECTION COMMITTEE William McIntosh is looking for volunteers to help serve on the ASP Committee. Contact William at womcintosh@gmail.com CALLING ALL READERS!! March 25th at 9 AM at Brock Elementary School We're participating in the Rotary Read-In on March 25th at Brock Elementary School. Registration deadline was Feb 25th (however, registration is still open). When you sign up, you are volunteering to read a book to students and then donating that book to the school. This is a rewarding and easy way to volunteer. E Shaver Bookseller has suggested titles once you find out what grade level you'll be reading to and will be offering a 20% discount. Sign up at https//savannahrotaryreadin.com and also register with Metro. See Sam Caroll's email for more information. LOOPING LITERACY TOGETHER If anyone is interested in reading regularly through Looping Literacy Together at Brock Elementary, please email carmen@loopitupsavannah.com. WHO'S GETTING LEIED? DISTRICT CONFERENCE - JEKYLL ISLAND ON APRIL 24-26 Join the party as we head on down to Jekyll Island for the District Conference on April 24-26. In recognition of the 2020 RI Convention being held in Honolulu, the district conference will be Polynesian-themed, featuring Polynesian menus and entertainment. It'll be fun to go as a group and all events are casual. Contact Bret Bell for more information! MARCH 31 METRO FIELD TRIP WITH ORLANDO! Orlando Montoya is offering Metrotarians a 2-hour tour of historic downtown Savannah on Tues, March 31st. If you're interested, please email Orlando at o.montoya@comcast.net for more details! REMINDER: NO MEETING ON MARCH 17. WE CELEBRATE BIRTHDAY SHENANIGANS ON MARCH 24TH! We're going to have a kick-ass birthday celebrating US! Metro turns 9! We'll have some exciting announcements (HINT! HINT!) to prepare for the inaugural "summer games". Come join in the celebration! ANOTHER ROASTARY IN THE BOOKS! Thanks to the incredible planning team, including Jordan Chase, Jessica Pedigo, Liza Smith, and Kristen Crawley on organizing such an incredible event! We couldn't have asked for a better Sunday. The oysters were delicious and the music with Jason Salzer was perfect! A big shout-out to hosts, Patrick and Cari Phelps for hosting us in your backyard. In addition, congratulations to Liza Smith and Julie Wade as our winners in the Chili Cook-Off! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2020-03-03 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Sheri Dean Dare Dukes Connie Keller Jessica Messere Erika Morrow Laura Sparks	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-03-03 05:00:00Z
Featured Speakers Dare Dukes spoke about his role as director of Deep Center, a non-profit that empowers Savannah’s young people to thrive as learners, community leaders, and agents of change. Through creative writing, cultural production, and art, Deep creates platforms for the city’s youth and the village of support around them, including their families and adult allies, to share stories, engage in debates, and make Savannah a more just and equitable place. More than just an after-school program, Deep works not just with youth but the village and systems surrounding young people. The aim is to lift up Savannah’s youth and families by directly supporting them while working to change the institutions and systems harming them. Erika Morrow spoke about her role as an optometrist with her eye care boutique located in downtown Savannah - ForSight Eye Care. Her boutique playfully borrows from Forsyth Park. She was introduced to Metro Rotary through a fellow Metrotarian and builder, Josh Brooks. She is the only one in her large immediate family who attended college and she's a huge dog person. As an eye doctor, she's like your primary care physician for eyes and doesn't do surgery. Erika gives back to the community in many ways - one of them being a participant in the InfantSEE program which offers no-cost eye assessments for infants 6-12 months.	Featured Speakers	Cecilia Arango	2020-03-03 05:00:00Z
Featured Speakers Chrissy Edwards spoke about her role as director of Horizons Savannah, the local chapter of one of America's best summer learning programs. Each summer, the program welcomes about 150 low-income public elementary and middle school students to a 6-week enrichment program that prevents learning loss that occurs during the summer. The program provides a safe and nurturing environment, recreational and cultural activities, meals and snacks, caring professional teachers, and creative and challenging instructions to improve students' academic, social, and emotional skills. Jenny Woodruff spoke about her role as education and community engagement director for the Savannah Music Festival. She is especially proud of a new education program that SMF recently launched called Jazz Academy. The first program served 30 students in the 5th grade. Jenny also talked about the larger Musical Explorers program which serves every student in kindergarten through 2nd grade in Chatham County. These programs bring national artists to local students, inspiring and educating them.	Featured Speakers	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-26 05:00:00Z
Announcements IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - FEB 29TH!! We are 82% of the way toward our goal for 100% for EREY! IF YOUR NAME ISN'T... Leigh Acevedo, Darron Alvord, Kathleen Anderson, Cecilia Arango, Jamie Arkins, Bret Bell, Kelley Boyd, Jeff Brady, Emily Burch, Spencer Burch, Sam Carroll, Danny Chase, Jordan Chase, Chris Corey, Kristen Crawley, Patton Dugas, Denise Grabowski, Will Gruver, Suzy Karpf, Jasmine Mills, Sara Holton, Justin Hummel, Reshma Johnson, Suzanne Kirk, Anna Kuhlke-Lee, Robert McCorkle, Denise McCoy, William McIntosh, Orlando Montoya, Clint Murphy, Jason Nielubowicz, Jessica Pedigo, Lee Perry, Cari Phelps, Patrick Phelps, Jeanine Roach, Ben Senger, Whitney Shephard, Florence Slatinsky, Liza Smith, Jason Somers, David Spisso, Jessica Thomas, Julie Wade, Daniel Weiner, Jenny Woodruff, Josh Yates then go to https://my.rotary.org/en and donate! As a Club, we've pledged 100% club participation to have Every Rotarian Every Year make a contribution of at least $100. The good news is that the Club has already gifted $50 to your contribution. Please see below on how to complete your part: Go here: https://metrosavannahrotary.org/ and select "Foundation" in the blue menu bar: Or, go directly to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate Select your cause in which you'd like to support. Donate a minimum of $50 in order to qualify for your every Rotarian every year contribution "EREY". Consider selecting a recurring donation for automatic annual contributions. Please do not forget to SIGN IN, if you've forgotten your password, create a new one. If you have not signed up to the website, do so. Recognition will only occur if you sign in. If you'd prefer to pay by check. Complete the form in the link below and mail your contribution to the address at the bottom of the form or bring a check (payable to Rotary Foundation) or bring cash to the next meeting! https://my.rotary.org/en/document/contribution-form-rotary-foundation CALLING ALL CHILI CHEFS!! March 8th at 3 PM at the Phelps Residence The chili cook-off portion of the Metro Roastary fundraiser is back again this year. We're looking for volunteers to make chili, If you're interested in volunteering or sponsoring, please contact Jessica Pedigo. This is a public event so please invite all your friends and professional contacts. CALLING ALL READERS!! March 25th at 9 AM at Brock Elementary School We're participating in the Rotary Read-In on March 25th at Brock Elementary School. Registration deadline was Feb 25th (I'm sure you can still register if needed). When you sign up, you are volunteering to read a book to students and then donating that book to the school. This is a rewarding and easy way to volunteer. E Shaver Bookseller has suggested titles once you find out what grade level you'll be reading to and will be offering a 10% discount. Sign up at https//savannahrotaryreadin.com LOOPING LITERACY TOGETHER If anyone is interested in reading regularly through Looping Literacy Together at Brock Elementary, please email carmen@loopitupsavannah.com. DISTRICT CONFERENCE - JEKYLL ISLAND ON APRIL 24-26 We're making a push for more club participation at the District Conference on Jekyll Island on April 24-26. In recognition of the 2020 RI Convention being held in Honolulu, the district conference will be Polynesian-themed, featuring Polynesian menus and entertainment. It'll be fun to go as a group and all events are casual. Contact Bret Bell for more information! METRO CLUB SOCIAL @ SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY Thanks Lee Perry and Josh Yates for organizing this month's club social at a Savannah State basketball game! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-26 05:00:00Z
9th Annual Roastary Oyster Roast PURCHASE TICKETS HERE! Join us for our 9th Annual Metro Roastary Oyster Roast on Sunday, March 8th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM. Metrotarians Cari and Patrick Phelps will be graciously hosting the oyster roast at their residence at 308 E. Hall Street. Tickets are $40 advance/$45 at the door. It'll be a casual afternoon of all-you-can-eat oysters, cold beer and wine, and live music! Come out and enjoy a beautiful late afternoon of oysters and vote for your favorite chili. There will be an amazing Savannah raffle basket up for grabs as well. Proceeds will benefit local non-profit partners, in addition to Rotary International causes, such as Polio Plus. If you're interested in sponsoring, contact Jessica Pedigo at JPedigo@SSPins.com or 912-544-1903. Sponsorship opportunities include: Title Sponsor ($1,000) limited to one • (8) Event Tickets • 2 minute speaking opportunity at event • Large Color logo and company name in title on invitation • Signage at the event (banner or signage to be provided by sponsor) • Sponsor announced and thanked at event Pearl Sponsor ($750) • (6) Event Tickets • Medium Color logo on invitations • Signage at event (banner or signage to be provided by company) • Sponsor announced and thanked at event Oyster Sponsor ($500) • (4) Event Tickets • Small Color logo on invitations • Signage at event (banner or signage to be provided by company) • Logo displayed on a food or beverage vendor site • Sponsor announced and thanked at event Shucker Sponsor ($250) • (2) Event Tickets • Name listed on invitations • Sponsor announced and thanked at event Salt Water Sponsor (in-kind donation for raffle) • Information on item(s) donated displayed at event • Donor name announced and thanked for donation at event.	9th Annual Roastary Oyster Roast	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-25 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Whitney Shephard invited Rotarians to Sunday Funday on Feb 23rd at Green Truck Pub to benefit Savannah Tree Foundation. Suzanne Kirk gave the poutine 2 thumbs up! Jeff Brady bragged about an amazing trip that he had with 5th graders to Rock Eagle Cari Clark Phelps announced the opening of a second location for her store, Salacia Salts, at 148 Abercorn Street Denise Grabowski thanked everyone for supporting her in her campaign for a seat of the Savannah/Chatham County Public School Board Lee Perry announced that he's running for Chatham County Tax Commissioner Jordan Chase and Julie Wade is throwing a fundraising party to support fellow Metrotarians running for office - Denise Grabowski and Lee Perry (and anyone else who wants to jump into a 2020 race). The event takes place on Tues, March 3 from 5:30-7:00 at the Wade's residence on 3410 Abercorn Street (house is at 51st and Vetsburg - facing a park that faces Abercorn). The event is limited to Metrotarians and spouses/partners, but is not an official Metro event. Check your emails for more information. There are opportunities for host sponsorships. Contact Jordan and/or Julie. Bret Bell reminded us that political fundraisers is not a club-sponsored event and club resources are not being used for it. Cecilia Arango is hosting Literary Leaders, a book club focusing on leadership skills. The event takes place on April 2nd at Southbound Brewing from 5:00-7:00 PM. Grab a copy of Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" and join the discussion.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-25 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Megan Burrows Lori Cook Ellen Harris Erika Morrow George Seaborough Sarah Smith	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-25 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests We introduce to you our three in the New Member Process: LEVEL 1-5: George Seaborough (level 2), sponsored by Ariana Berksteiner and Whitney Shephards with Cynthia Mullally as Membership Liaison, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. LEVEL 1-5: Erika Morrow, M.S., O.D. (level 2), sponsored by Bret Bell and Cindy Mullally with Denise McCoy as Membership Liaison, is a Colorado native, one of eight children, and has 17 nieces/nephews. She is happily married to her husband, Brian, since 2009, and they have two dogs. They relocated to Savannah in 2017 for her husband's career at Gulfstream. They enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, and frequenting the local establishments of Savannah. Erika attended the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2012. She went on to pursue her Doctorate of Optometry and Masters of Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she graduated with honors in 2016. After falling in love with the Savannah area, Erika opened her own eye care practice in the historic district, ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear. She provides full service eye care services and has a wonderfully unique optical. She is the president for the First District Georgia Optometric Association and a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Chamber. LEVEL 1-5: Sarah Smith (level 1), sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. As a part of the New Member process,guests with interest in joining Metro are asked to submit a bio so we can share with the club. This is our time to learn more about our future members! If you have any questions about the prospective member's status, please reach out to Membership Chair, Cari Clark Phelps. We want to ensure our process IS FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED. Happy reading! Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper. Read more...	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-11 05:00:00Z
Announcements NEWEST METROTARIAN Everyone welcome Mike Nadeau to the family! He was inducted to the family at our last meeting. METROS WHO MUNCH Check out the latest munch dates! Daniel Weiner, Julie Wade, and Denise McCoy hit up the Green Truck Pub and Bret Bell, Orlando Montoya, and Suzy Karpf dined at Flock to the Wok. Have you munched yet? HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PROJECT FINALE - JAN 25 & FEB 1! Thanks to the following who volunteered their time to help with the last service projects for Habitat for Humanity: Lee Acevedo, Cecilia Arango, Jamie Arkins, Ben Barksdale, Bret Bell, Emmy Burch, Spencer Burch, Sam Carroll, Jordan Chase, Chris Corey, Kristen Crawley, Patton Dugas, Denise Grabowski, Will Gruver, Ellen Harris, Katie Joyner, Anne Kuhlke-Lee, Denise McCoy, William McIntosh, Jessica Pedigo, Cari Phelps, Patrick Phelps, Jeanine Roach, Ben Singer, Whitney Shephard, Liza Smith, Jason Somers, Laura Sparks, Julie Wade, Daniel Weiner, Josh Yates IF YOUR NAME ISN'T... Leigh Acevedo, Darron Alvord, Kathleen Anderson, Cecilia Arango, Jamie Arkins, Ben Barksdale, Lee Beckmann, Ariana Berksteiner, Bret Bell, Kelley Boyd, Jeff Brady, Emily Burch, Spencer Burch, Sam Carroll, Danny Chase, Jordan Chase, Chris Corey, Kristen Crawley, Chris DeLeon, Patton Dugas, Denise Grabowski, Will Gruver, Suzy Karpf, Jasmine Mills, Sara Holton, Justin Hummel, Reshma Johnson, Suzanne Kirk, Anna Kuhlke-Lee, Robert McCorkle, Denise McCoy, Alfred McGuire, William McIntosh, Orlando Montoya, Clint Murphy, Jason Nielubowicz, Jessica Pedigo, Lee Perry, Cari Phelps, Patrick Phelps, Jeanine Roach, Ben Senger, Whitney Shephard, Florence Slatinsky, Liza Smith, Jason Somers, David Spisso, Grant Tallon, Jessica Thomas, Julie Wade, Daniel Weiner, Brad Whitfield, Jenny Woodruff, Josh Yates THEN THE ROTARY FOUNDATION - EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR District Governor Mike Muldowney presented us with a flag for EREY for participation last year and we need to be at 100% again this year! What does this mean? It means your deadline to contribute to the Foundation is FEBRUARY 29TH! What if we don't make EREY? BRET SAYS, "NOT ON MY WATCH!" As a Club, we've pledged 100% club participation to have Every Rotarian Every Year make a contribution of at least $100. The good news is that the Club has already gifted $50 to your contribution. Please see below on how to complete your part: Go here: https://metrosavannahrotary.org/ and select "Foundation" in the blue menu bar: Or, go directly to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate Select your cause in which you'd like to support. Donate a minimum of $50 in order to qualify for your every Rotarian every year contribution "EREY". Consider selecting a recurring donation for automatic annual contributions. Please do not forget to SIGN IN, if you've forgotten your password, create a new one. If you have not signed up to the website, do so. Recognition will only occur if you sign in. If you'd prefer to pay by check. Complete the form in the link below and mail your contribution to the address at the bottom of the form or bring a check (payable to Rotary Foundation) or bring cash to the next meeting! https://my.rotary.org/en/document/contribution-form-rotary-foundation SAVE THE DATE! March 8th at 3 PM at the Phelps Residence More details coming soon! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-11 05:00:00Z
Featured Guests: McIntoshes Live Out Their Travel Dreams Mackie and William McIntosh talked to the Club about fulfilling one of their lifelong dreams - to take off work for a year (June 2018 - June 2019) to travel across Europe. After two deaths of close family members, it really ignited the flame of the old adage that "life is too short" and William and Mackie decided that it was time to start working on making their travel dreams come true. It took a lot of budgeting (saving up to a 1/3 of their net income) and planning (they started the process in 2012). Some of the things they shared included: Homeschooling their 10-year old son, Liam. Mackie focused on English, while William handled math. Experiencing Tour de France was awesome! Air B&Bs are the best. Know when to book and find good deals. They traveled via train a lot and did camper vans Poland was super cheap and any countries in the north were expensive France is the only country that didn't speak English. Also - don't go to France in June. They packed 28 suitcases Their best meal was in Portugal Bret Bell also shared with us his presentation on Top 10 Other Vacations Metrotarians Took Last Year: 10. Lee Beckmann fought off Somali pirates while enjoying discounted container ship travel. 9. Laura Lee Bocade entered a wheelie contest at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 8. Robert McCorkle rode bareback on a rhino during a return trip to the Serengeti. 7. Lee Perry helped organize a Fyre Festival 6. Jeff Brady went somewhere where he'd feel comfortable wearing Lycra. 5. Grant Tallon swam with tigers in the South China Sea 4. You know Cecilia and Emmy did a marathon somewhere. 3. Danny Chase got burnt to a crisp in the Dominican Republic 2. Ariana Berksteiner went to Central American and started a revolution 1. Suzy and Judge Karpf went to a Cosplay Convention in Vegas	Featured Guests: McIntoshes Live Out Their Travel Dreams	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-11 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Josh McIntosh, guest of DJ Spisso Ellen Harris (Ethos Preservation), former Metrotarian and guest of Cari Clark Phelps	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-06 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. DJ Spisso bragged about Savannah Spirit, the newest for-profit franchise to join the Women's Premier Soccer League. The team will kick off its inaugural season in WPSL this coming May. They're currently looking for Game Day Ambassadors and sponsorships! Send DJ an email if you're interested. Jenny Woodruff bragged about Savannah Music Festival's new SMF Local Partner initiative. For $150, you'll receive a decal to display at your business identifying you as a partner in the community. Local Partners may offer discounts or specials at their discretion to SMF patrons. When posting to social media, use #SMFLocalPartner and SMF will share your offers with their social media community too. In addition, you'll be listed in the printed version of the official festival program and on the SMF website. Do it by Feb 28th! Julie Wade came with checks ready to support our 2 Metrotarians running for local offices! We know one is Denise Grabowski as she runs for Savannah-Chatham County School Board District 1 (taking over Julie's seat) and we're waiting for our other mystery Metrotarian to announce his/her running! Julie urged everyone to donate financially to their campaigns for support as elections have become more contested and more expensive - so support your fellow Metrotarians! Cindy Mullaly bragged on SCAD's upcoming event on Valentine's Day - Feb 14, 4 PM at Arnold Hall Theater - Savannah Women of Vision, commemorating women of peerless valor, altruism, and intellect. This year, the honorees include Clermont Huger Lee (one of the first women to lead a landscape architecture practice in Georgia and was the foremost expert in recreating historic landscapes in mid-20th century Savannah) and Suzanne Shank (a lauded veteran of the investment banking industry and chairwoman, CEO, and founding owner of Siebert Williams Shank & Co.). Check out these women and details on the event here. Cecilia Arango along with several of her peers in the A/E/C industry are starting a book club focusing on leadership called Literary Leaders. The first book club discussion takes place on Thurs, April 2, 5 PM at Southbound Brewing. Pick up a copy of Simon Sinek's Start With Why and join the discussion. Chris DeLeon bragged on the Southeastern District Georgia Dental Association's Give Kids a Smile event happening across GA! Dentists provided free dental care for children on Fri, Feb 7th at Savannah Tech's Eckburg Auditorium. The volunteer initiative takes place each February in conjunction with Children's Dental Health Month and provides dental screenings, treatment, and education at no charge to underserved children in GA. Sarah Smith wants you to know about the 5th Annual Savannah Autism Conference as part of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism that took place Feb 6-7. Arianna Berksteiner bragged on everyone who donated and attended Ms. Freda's retirement party. Ms. Freda had been with Emmaus House for 20 years. Please welcome new executive chef, Ms. Brandy to Emmaus House! Kelley Boyd is hiring! Savannah Yoga Center is hiring a General Manager position. This is an above industry paid full-time position. Please send all your amazing leads our way via the Indeed job posting! https://indeedhi.re/38w0Zjg	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-06 05:00:00Z
Featured Guest: Nick Palumbo A GREATER SAVANNAH (1903-1906), AN ERA OF NOTEWORTHY CIVIC INNOVATION THROUGH POSTCARDS Nick was excited to share with us his collection of postcards, specifically with Savannah's history and infrastructure that exists today and those that are sorely missed. What about postcards? They convey place, emotion, and time. They relay tragedy, disaster, feelings, celebrations, and more. World War I ended postcards as print quality declined and ink was running out. After showing us his collection and a history through time, Nick posed the question - What are the buildings today that will be cherished in the future?" And our favorite - BRET'S TOP 10 NICK PALUMBO VINTAGE POSTCARD FINDS 10. This guy floating with a gun down the Savannah River. 9. Early SCADdies loitering near the Armory 8. Public art on Bull Street 7. First generation drone prototype over Forsyth Park 6. Palm frond rose guy at Old City Market 5. Sasquatch frolicking through azaleas 4. Swimming with Great Whites on Tybee 3. Original Gen. Oglethorpe Hotel tower on Wilmington Island 2. Tony Thomas on Broughton Street 1. Good old-fashioned bare-knuckled post-meeting City Council street fight	Featured Guest: Nick Palumbo	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-03 05:00:00Z
Classification Talk with Anne Kuhlke-Lee Anne Kuhlke-Lee is a licensed professional counselor and has all the acronyms behind her name to prove it! She worked for SCAD for 7 years - and before that she was Savannah Technical College's first counselor - before opening her own counseling services. She is a Master's-degreed mental health service provider and is trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders. Anne accepts insurance, doesn't prescribe meds, and believes that psychotherapist or mental health counselor might be a better descriptor than "counseling services." If you know of any moms out there struggling with any mental health issues, Anne helped start the Facebook group, Maternal Mental Health Collective of Savannah (@ListenToMoms).	Classification Talk with Anne Kuhlke-Lee	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-03 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests We introduce to you our three in the New Member Process: LEVEL 1-5: George Seaborough (level 2), sponsored by Ariana Berksteiner and Whitney Shephards with Cynthia Mullally as Membership Liaison, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. LEVEL 1-5: Erika Morrow, M.S., O.D. (level 1), sponsored by Bret Bell and Cindy Mullally with Denise McCoy as Membership Liaison, is a Colorado native, one of eight children, and has 17 nieces/nephews. She is happily married to her husband, Brian, since 2009, and they have two dogs. They relocated to Savannah in 2017 for her husband's career at Gulfstream. They enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, and frequenting the local establishments of Savannah. Erika attended the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2012. She went on to pursue her Doctorate of Optometry and Masters of Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she graduated with honors in 2016. After falling in love with the Savannah area, Erika opened her own eye care practice in the historic district, ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear. She provides full service eye care services and has a wonderfully unique optical. She is the president for the First District Georgia Optometric Association and a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Chamber. LEVEL 1-5: Mike Nadeau (level 5), sponsored by Cecilia Arango and Suzanne Kirk with Cari Phelps as Membership Liaison, is the Owner/Operator of Fleet Feet Savannah (and Pooler coming soon!). He's a passionate individual who never really backs down from tackling a new challenge in life.He's had the awesome opportunity to serve our country in the United States Air Force working as a Signal Intelligence Analyst, U1N471. While in the Air Force, he traveled to Japan, South Korea, and all over the Middle East. Personally, he's traveled all over Europe and Central America. One of his greatest experiences in life was driving in an old Jeep from CA to FL with his dad when he separated from the Air Force. Mike's a passionate runner and has completed an Ironman, 140.6 miles (swim 2.4, bike 112 and run a marathon), as well as completed an ultra-marathon covering 100K, 62miles. He enjoy music and plays very little guitar although he does enjoy it. He has an amazing wife who puts up with most of it, and a daughter who attends Catawba College on a soccer scholarship. She’s majoring in biology in preparation for vet school. Mike's bucket list includes wanting to hike the AT, fly a helicopter, and travel the Pacific Northwest. LEVEL 1-5: Sarah Smith (level 1), sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. As a part of the New Member process,guests with interest in joining Metro are asked to submit a bio so we can share with the club. This is our time to learn more about our future members! If you have any questions about the prospective member's status, please reach out to Membership Chair, Cari Clark Phelps. We want to ensure our process IS FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED. Happy reading! Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper. Read more...	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-03 05:00:00Z
Announcements JANUARY MONTHLY METRO SOCIAL @ MOODRIGHT'S Thanks to all those who came out for our monthly Metro Social at one of the newest spots in town, Moodright's! Harold Yellin, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, joined us also. ASP - HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SERVICE & BIG CHECK DELIVERY! Thanks everyone who came out to help move Habitat out of 70th Street location to their new digs at the ReStore on MLK. As a group, we presented Harold with Habitat a check for $10,000. Thanks to Metrotarian Ben Senger for taking video and interviews to post on WSAV. IF YOUR NAME ISN'T... Leigh Acevedo, Darron Alvord, Kathleen Anderson, Cecilia Arango, Jamie Arkins, Bret Bell, Kelley Boyd, Jeff Brady, Emily Burch, Spencer Burch, Sam Carroll, Danny Chase, Jordan Chase, Chris Corey, Kristen Crawley, Chris DeLeon, Patton Dugas, Denise Grabowski, Will Gruver, Jasmine Mills, Sara Holton, Justin Hummel, Reshma Johnson, Suzanne Kirk, Anna Kuhlke-Lee, Robert McCorkle, Denise McCoy, William McIntosh, Orlando Montoya, Jason Nielubowicz, Jessica Pedigo, Cari Phelps, Patrick Phelps, Jeanine Roach, Ben Senger, Whitney Shephard, Florence Slatinsky, Liza Smith, Jason Somers, Julie Wade, Daniel Weiner, Josh Yates THEN THE ROTARY FOUNDATION - EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR District Governor Mike Muldowney presented us with a flag for EREY for participation last year and we need to be at 100% again this year! What does this mean? It means your deadline to contribute to the Foundation is FEBRUARY 29TH! What if we don't make EREY? BRET SAYS, "NOT ON MY WATCH!" As a Club, we've pledged 100% club participation to have Every Rotarian Every Year make a contribution of at least $100. The good news is that the Club has already gifted $50 to your contribution. Please see below on how to complete your part: Go here: https://metrosavannahrotary.org/ and select "Foundation" in the blue menu bar: Or, go directly to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate Select your cause in which you'd like to support. Donate a minimum of $50 in order to qualify for your every Rotarian every year contribution "EREY". Consider selecting a recurring donation for automatic annual contributions. Please do not forget to SIGN IN, if you've forgotten your password, create a new one. If you have not signed up to the website, do so. Recognition will only occur if you sign in. If you'd prefer to pay by check. Complete the form in the link below and mail your contribution to the address at the bottom of the form or bring a check (payable to Rotary Foundation) or bring cash to the next meeting! https://my.rotary.org/en/document/contribution-form-rotary-foundation YOUR GIRL'S THE 2021-22 PRESIDENT NOMINEE! Oh, herro...(FYI, I wrote that.) Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-03 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Kristen Crawley wants you to know that she's no longer with Savannah Bee Company Cari Clark Phelps bragged about her new Marketing Manager for Clark Creative and it's Kristen Crawley! Lee Perry bragged about the upcoming Savannah State basketball game social coming up on Feb. 20th. Price will be $10. Look for an upcoming email with the link to purchase tickets. Denise Grabowski is running for Julie Wade's old spot - District 1 - on the Savannah-Chatham County Public School Board of Education. Rock the vote! Ryan Smith is on Board Chair and invites you to the upcoming 4th Annual Girls on the Run Pacesetter Concert on Sun, Feb. 16th from 5-7 PM at the 45 Bistro featuring local artists, Laiken Williams (vocals), Kristin King (harp), Maggie Evans (bass and vocals), Susanna Kennedy (violin, guitar, vocals), and Britt Scott (vocals, guitar). Suggested donation is $150 (single)/$250 (couple). Liza is part of the host committee. RSVP to Chris Carpentino at chris.carpentino@girlsontherun.org Emmy Burch bragged about the RISE national conference, doubling the size of the event. She's putting her doctorate to work! Bea Saba whined about resigning from Metro. She's leaving Savannah and will be the new director of the Bryan College Station Public Library System in Texas. Jason Somers bragged on his oldest kid as he's going to be a SCAD Bee starting in January Julie Wade invites you to the Park Place Gala on Friday, Feb 7th from 7-9 PM at the Plantation Club at The Landings. Tickets are $150 with table sponsorships available. More info here Erika Morrow invites you to lafont., an exclusive eyewear trunk show and styling event on Thurs, Feb 6th at 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM at ForSight (350 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd). There'll be snacks, wine, beer, and great deals on eye glasses!	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-02 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Ryan Smith, guest (and husband) of Liza Smith Jonathan Lee, guest (and husband) of Ann Kuhlke Lee Laiken Williams, guest of Cari Clark Phelps	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-02-02 05:00:00Z
Patrick Monahan: Savannah 2020 - From SWOT to Savannah Forward Pat Monahan is the current City Manager and is counting down the days (less than 80ish days) before retires to his hammock in his cabin in North Carolina - and he's serious this time. After turning down the offer over and over, Pat decided to step out of retirement and assist the city (Georgia's 2nd largest municipal organization) as interim City Manager in July 2019, during a transition period when former City Manager, Rob Hernandez, took a job down in Florida. Pat had already served 29 years as the Assistant County Manager and retired in 2012, before he started his own consulting business, Governomics. One of his iconic projects includes the Savannah International Trade Center. In the first 2 weeks as City Manager, Pat performed a SWOT analysis, which helped identify the focus areas/targets he delved deep into during his 10 months, including: Adopted Budget - millage rate SPLOST passage Arena groundbreaking Vacancies filled 5-Year Capital Improvements Plan development Federal Highway money for DeRenne project New Public Works Complex Municipal Complex to house all City services Homelessness initiatives Choice Neighborhood Grant Pat says he's definitely retiring. However, Bret pulled together TOP 10 WAYS TO GET PAT MONAHAN TO STAY ON AS CITY MANAGER and this list goes like this: 10. Mike Nadeau agrees to throw in lifetime supply of high-end minimalist running shoes. 9. Set aside time every City Council Meeting for Pat's "This Week in Obscure Savannah History" lecture. 8. Henry's Restaurant agrees to make All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Wednesdays a daily thing. 7. Repaint the majestic City Hall Gold Dome a hideous Florida Gator orange. 6. Move the Waving Girl to Talahi Island as a nice treat for Pat when he commutes home every evening. 5. Robert McCorkle agrees to submit no more rezoning requests. 4. Convert City Manager's Office into woodworking shop. Change City Manager duties to that of City Carpenter. 3. Allow Pat to work remotely from hammock on porch of North Carolina cabin. 2. Flat out bribe him with the title of 2020 St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal. 1. New City Council agrees to act sanely, use good judgement, and conduct efficient meetings.	Patrick Monahan: Savannah 2020 - From SWOT to Savannah Forward	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Newsworthy Metrotarians Orlando Montoya (Connect Savannah) wrote an edgy piece regarding the merging of Armstrong into Georgia Southern University. Read all about it here! Jenny Woodruff' (US News & World Report) was featured for the Savannah Music Festival's Georgia Jazz Academy. Read all about here! Emmy Burch did a fine job singing at the City Council's inauguration! Tharpe Engineering (Cody Tharpe), Hansen Architects, and Thomas & Hutton (Cecilia Arango) were featured in the Savannah Magazine's feature article on the Cove at Dundee (Tiny House Project).	Newsworthy Metrotarians	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Announcements CHEERS TO 2019! We celebrated a kick-ass 2019! Kudos to Whitney Shephard Yates on organizing our fun Holiday Social on Dec. 18th at Savoy Society We had a blast! MUNCH MUCH? A big shout-out to Liza Smith for playing Metro's Munch-Maker! Thanks everyone for signing up for a Munch-date with your Metro fam! We took a quick break with all the December madness, but keep a look-out for your next Munch Date. Also, it's never too late if you still want to munch, please email Liza Smith and she'll hook you up (heeeheeeeheeeheee). Here's the gist: Put your name on the list (email Liza) Munchmaker Liza will match you up with two or three others Your crew will have one month to make Munch happen Post a pic on FB and tag Metropolitan Savannah Rotary because #PicsOrItDidntHappen Get an attendance credit ASP - HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SERVICE! Mark your calendar for 2 exciting events that we'll need all hands on deck for: Jan 25, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM (2 shifts with shift change starting at 11:30) - The Big Move and presentation of the Big Check! Please make an effort to be at the ReStore at 11:30 during the shift change. This is when we'll present our big check to Habitat for $10,000. Our District Governor will be in atteendance as well. Feb 1, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM (2 shifts with shift change starting at 11:30) - Final clean, staging, and touch-up of the old office on 70th Street NEXT METRO CLUB SOCIAL - MOODRIGHT'S We'll see you on Jan 28 at 5:30 PM at Savannah's only Duckpin bowling bar. If you want to get there earlier and jump on some Happy Hour bowling, it starts at 4 and ends at 6 PM for $3 per person. Did you guys know there's a Beggars Banquet on the menu? For $20, you get a beer, a slushie, pack of cigs, and 2 games for $20?! I know where my next munch date is! IF YOUR NAME ISN'T... Leigh Acevedo, Darron Alvord, Cecilia Arango, Jamie Arkins, Bret Bell, Kelley Boyd, Jeff Brady, Sam Carroll, Danny Chase, Jordan Chase, Chris Corey, Kristen Crawley, Patton Dugas, Denise Grabowski, Will Gruver, Jasmine Mills, Sara Holton, Justin Hummel - homeboy doesn't even live here, Reshma Johnson, Suzanne Kirk, Anna Kuhlke-Lee, Denise McCoy, William McIntosh, Orlando Montoya, Jason Nielubowicz, Cari Phelps, Patrick Phelps, Jeanine Roach, Ben Singer, Whitney Shephard, Florence Slatinsky, Liza Smith, Jason Somers, Julie Wade, Daniel Weiner, Josh Yates THEN THE ROTARY FOUNDATION - EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR We're currently at 52% and we need to be at 100%! What does this mean? It means your deadline to contribute to the Foundation is FEBRUARY 29TH! What if we don't make EREY? BRET SAYS, "NOT ON MY WATCH!" As a Club, we've pledged 100% club participation to have Every Rotarian Every Year make a contribution of at least $100. The good news is that the Club has already gifted $50 to your contribution. Please see below on how to complete your part: Go here: https://metrosavannahrotary.org/ and select "Foundation" in the blue menu bar: Or, go directly to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate Select your cause in which you'd like to support. Donate a minimum of $50 in order to qualify for your every Rotarian every year contribution "EREY". Consider selecting a recurring donation for automatic annual contributions. Please do not forget to SIGN IN, if you've forgotten your password, create a new one. If you have not signed up to the website, do so. Recognition will only occur if you sign in. If you'd prefer to pay by check. Complete the form in the link below and mail your contribution to the address at the bottom of the form or bring a check (payable to Rotary Foundation) or bring cash to the next meeting! https://my.rotary.org/en/document/contribution-form-rotary-foundation Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests We introduce to you our three in the New Member Process: LEVEL 1-5: George Seaborough (level 1), sponsored by Ariana Berksteiner and Whitney Shephards with Cynthia Mullally as Membership Liaison, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. LEVEL 1-5: Erika Morrow, M.S., O.D. (level 1), sponsored by Bret Bell and Cindy Mullally with Denise McCoy as Membership Liaison, is a Colorado native, one of eight children, and has 17 nieces/nephews. She is happily married to her husband, Brian, since 2009, and they have two dogs. They relocated to Savannah in 2017 for her husband's career at Gulfstream. They enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, and frequenting the local establishments of Savannah. Erika attended the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2012. She went on to pursue her Doctorate of Optometry and Masters of Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she graduated with honors in 2016. After falling in love with the Savannah area, Erika opened her own eye care practice in the historic district, ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear. She provides full service eye care services and has a wonderfully unique optical. She is the president for the First District Georgia Optometric Association and a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Chamber. LEVEL 1-5: Mike Nadeau (level 5), sponsored by Cecilia Arango and Suzanne Kirk with Cari Phelps as Membership Liaison, is the Owner/Operator of Fleet Feet Savannah (and Pooler coming soon!). He's a passionate individual who never really backs down from tackling a new challenge in life.He's had the awesome opportunity to serve our country in the United States Air Force working as a Signal Intelligence Analyst, U1N471. While in the Air Force, he traveled to Japan, South Korea, and all over the Middle East. Personally, he's traveled all over Europe and Central America. One of his greatest experiences in life was driving in an old Jeep from CA to FL with his dad when he separated from the Air Force. Mike's a passionate runner and has completed an Ironman, 140.6 miles (swim 2.4, bike 112 and run a marathon), as well as completed an ultra-marathon covering 100K, 62miles. He enjoy music and plays very little guitar although he does enjoy it. He has an amazing wife who puts up with most of it, and a daughter who attends Catawba College on a soccer scholarship. She’s majoring in biology in preparation for vet school. Mike's bucket list includes wanting to hike the AT, fly a helicopter, and travel the Pacific Northwest. As a part of the New Member process,guests with interest in joining Metro are asked to submit a bio so we can share with the club. This is our time to learn more about our future members! If you have any questions about the prospective member's status, please reach out to Membership Chair, Cari Clark Phelps. We want to ensure our process IS FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED. Happy reading! Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. Sarah Smith, sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper. Read more...	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. DJ Spisso announced a new women's soccer franchise coming soon to Savannah! The new Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) will have its inaugural season in Savannah! The Savannah Spirit Soccer Club will play its games at Memorial Stadium as part of the WPSL Carolina Conference, Southern Division and is looking to partner with non-profits to help with game day events, as well as give back to their organization. Additionally, the Club has sponsorship opportunities that include Match tickets and VIP events. Please contact DJ at 912-224-8218 (for a good time) and more information. Jamie Smith Arkins bragged on Dr. Morrow's grand opening of Eye Sight and won a pair of awesome polarized sunglasses! Kelley Waldron bragged on Laura Lee Bocade for assisting St. Andrew School with its strategic initiatives! Cari Clark Phelps is hiring a Marketing Manager for Clark Creative! Know any good people, please send them Cari's way! Florence Slatinsky bragged on SEDA's annual meeting! Jasmine Mills is now married! Whitney Shephard Yates is calling for Metro Readers! Come grow our #CommunityReadingSquad and join us at Brock Elementary on Wednesdays at 10 AM. You can read once a month or more. Email Whitney if you're interested. It's a small commitment with a BIG impact on our youngest community members! George Seaborough invites you for Oysters on the Bluff at the lovely Isle of Hope Marina on Sun, Jan 26 from 3-6 PM to benefit Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy. There'll be artwork by Brittany Curry with InkyBrittany. Come and enjoy oysters, chili, hot dogs, beer, wine, and music. Cost: $35 per person in advance rain or shine. $45 per person at the door. Children under 13 are free. Sponsors include Georgia Ports Authority, Port City Logistics, Isle of Hope Marina, Gerald's Pig and Shrimp on Tybee, Team Callahan at Keller Williams Realty, Bouhan Falligant LLP, FPC of Savannah, Jon and Kimberly Pannell, The Patel Law Firm, David Lock, Twinkle Jewelry in City Market, Bonitz of Georgia, Mahany Construction Company, Royal Restrooms, Engel & Völkers Savannah, Hughes Public Affairs, 3PL Worx Logistics, Quentin Marlin, Michael M. Dobbs & Associates Insurance, Simply Children's Dentistry, Carroll Construction Company, Empire Logistics, Huey's on the River, Bezilla Kinney Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors... and more sponsors to come! Call 912-236-5798 for sponsorship opportunities.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Ellen Harris (Ethos Preservation), former Metrotarian and guest of Cari Clark Phelps Julie Moore (Savannah Yoga Center), guest of Kelley Boyd Joey Odom (DIRTT), guest of Laura Lee Bocade John Rodman (CRM Attorneys), guest of Lee Perry David Slatinsky (USI Insurance), guest and husband of Florence Slatinsky	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2020-01-10 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests As a part of the New Member process, guests with interest in joining Metro are asked to submit a bio so we can share with the club. This is our time to learn more about our future members! If you have any questions about the prospective member's status, please reach out to Membership Chair, Cari Clark Phelps. We want to ensure our process IS FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED. Happy reading! Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. George Seaborough, sponsored by Whitney Shephards, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. Sarah Smith, sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper. Erika Morrow, M.S., O.D., sponsored by Cindy Mullally, is a Colorado native, one of eight children, and has 17 nieces/nephews. She is happily married to her husband, Brian, since 2009, and they have two dogs. They relocated to Savannah in 2017 for her husband's career at Gulfstream. They enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, and frequenting the local establishments of Savannah. Erika attended the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2012. She went on to pursue her Doctorate of Optometry and Masters of Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she graduated with honors in 2016. After falling in love with the Savannah area, Erika opened her own eye care practice in the historic district, ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear. She provides full service eye care services and has a wonderfully unique optical. She is the president for the First District Georgia Optometric Association and a member of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Chamber. Read more...	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-12-13 05:00:00Z
Announcements HOLIDAY SOCIAL It's time to get festive! You're invited to Metro's Holiday Social on Wed, Dec. 18th from 5:30-7:30 PM at Savoy Society (102 E Liberty Street, Suite 109). Join your Metro BFFs as we toast the brand new Savoy Society lounge. There'll be cocktails, wine, beer, and munchies. Speaking of Munchies.... Munch Much? Thanks everyone for signing up for a Munch-date with your Metro fam! It's not too late if you still want to munch, please email Liza Smith and she'll hook you up (heeeheeeeheeeheee). Here's the gist: Put your name on the list (email Liza) Matchmaker Liza will match you up with two or three others Your crew will have one month to make Munch happen Post a pic on FB and tag Metropolitan Savannah Rotary because #PicsOrItDidntHappen Get an attendance credit ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! Congratulations to Elizabeth Summerell on completing the requirements to become inducted into the Metro Savannah Rotary family! MIKE NADEAU'S CLASSIFICATION TALK Fun facts about Mike: Owns Fleet Feet Savannah, sells "the experience", and is opening a second location in Pooler Quit smoking on his 40th birthday and started running Was in the Air Force for almost 9 years and worked in Intelligence (tell him secrets and he won't spill the beans) Completed 3 ultra marathons, 4 Ironman competitions, and is currently training for another ultra marathon GO GATORS! (even named his bulldog "Gator") Worked in the beverage industry - Red Bull Sits on the Bike Walk Savannah, Savannah Sports Council, and a Racing Committee with the City Suffers from hair dyslexia (it took 18 months to grow his luscious beard) METRO SOCIAL AT TWO TIDES BREWERY We had an awesome turn-out at our last social at Two Tides! We look forward to seeing you at our next one on Wed, Dec. 18th! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-12-13 05:00:00Z
SPEAKERS Jami Murray is the Sales & Marketing Manager of Coastal Home Care, which is going through a transition right now. The firm was locally-owned and is now part of Chicago-based Help-at-Home. They are currently rebranding. Jami spoke to the club about various options for our aging loved ones, offering services such as the Medical Alert System (you know it better as "I've fallen and I can't get up!"), in-home care services, home health services, assisted living/personal care home, inpatient rehabilitation, long-term care/nursing home, and hospice care. Lauren Criukshanks with Inspiritus informed the club on the many refugee assistance services they offer right here in Savannah, including resettlement, social adjustment, cultural orientation, employment, matching grant, and refugee school impact grant. They assist hundreds of refugees each year on the path to citizenship. Inspiritus aims to help refugees achieve economic self-sufficiency, integrate successfully into their new communities and country, and strive for citizenship.	SPEAKERS	Cecilia Arango	2019-12-13 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Sam Carroll wants to remind you to bring a $25 Kroger gift Card to Tuesday's Club Assembly for the Tiny Homes residents - you'll receive a Service Credit! Erika Morrow is hosting a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 4-7 PM (with ribbon cutting starting at 5:30 PM) for the newly opened ForSight, located in a newly restored building at 350 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd - diagonal from the newly renovated Enmarket. ForSight was restored and decorated using reclaimed materials from Emergent Structures and other local businesses, including Forsyth Metalworks, Miracle Method, Brooks Construction, and 18Loves. Raffle tickets will be sold at the door for $10 each or 5 for $40 for a chance to win an Apple Watch, $100 Visa Gift Card, prescription eyeglass lens vouchers, free frames, INVU & Maui Jim Sunglasses, and gift cards for local small businesses.. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Savannah Center for Blind and Low Vision as they work on building a walking path. Cindy Mullalyy bragged on her good experience working with Dr. Ericka Morrow at ForSight! Julie Wade bragged on Josh & Whitney Shephard Yates for hosting a fundraiser at Green Truck for Park Place Outreach! Lee Perry bragged that Savannah State University won the SIAC conference! Picked to finish late at SIAC Media Days, the Tigers football team used it as motivation and rolled over the number two team in the division, Fort Valley State, notching a 53-24 win in front of the home crowd, solidifying their spot atop the SIAC East. Lee is working on putting together a social to watch an upcoming SSU basketball game. Liza Smith says for those who signed up for Munch, you'll be assigned a date soon! She's trying to schedule them all out instead of doing it all at one time. Darron Alvord is participating in Interfaith Light the World and shared a gentle reminder for us all to bless others during this holiday season Leigh Acevedo shared that her house on 604 Johnston Street is lit up in Christmas lights. Come drive by and see the Acevedo's festival of lights! Anne Kuhlke Lee bragged on Daniel Weiner for being awesome and helping her out with some construction work!	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-12-13 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Suzanne Ansley (Camp Sunshine), guest of DJ Spisso Stephanie Irwin (Camp Sunshine), guest of DJ Spisso Amber Bradshaw (Best Version Media), guest of Jeff Brady Allison Falkenberry (Otium), guest of Cindy Mullally Laura Sparks (Ashley Business Solutions), guest of Jordan Chase Erika Morrow (ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear) John Rodman (CRM Attorneys), guest of Lee Perry	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-12-13 05:00:00Z
We Don't Want Y'all's Babies! Janice Alexander, Customer/Constituent Services Manager with the GA Dept of Human Resources, gave a little lively humor and educational talk on what all the GA Dept of Human Services does for our community and the one takeaway we all took with us was that DFACs does not want our babies - one of the common myths spread about the service. She helps spread DHS' mission - Stronger families for a Stronger GA and talked to us about the various programs they offer, including Aging Services, Child Support, and Family & Children Services. They aim at helping people become self sufficient and making sure children are safe. DHS understands and believes that children do better at home with their parents. Janice states that "people want to do better and they just need a little help," explaining that DHS makes efforts in lessening punishments and looks for better ways to make the system work. What was staggering to hear is that almost 60% of kids who live here in Chatham County and enter into the fostering system get placed outside of the County and away from their homes and their familiar surroundings. Their is a need for foster parents in the County and if you or someone you know would live to get involved, please contact DHS.	We Don't Want Y'all's Babies!	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-18 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Cari Clark Phelps bragged on her donors for her Facebook birthday fundraiser that started at a goal of $300 and raised almost $1,000 for school children in India. She's going to research to see if it can be matched for a total of $2,000! As a note, when you donate to Facebook, there are no fees! Julie Wade wants you aware that November is National Runaway Prevention Month! She also gave a shout-out to Cecilia Arango for being accepted into Leadership Georgia (side note: Julie nominated Cecilia) and also gave a shout-out to Thomas & Hutton for its Jeans Day helping raise $1,000 for Park Place Outreach! DJ Spisso bragged on everyone who voted and then threw out Bret Bell for Mayor 2020! Florence Slatinsky bragged on Ariana Berksteiner and Emmaus House's Empty Bowl Fundraiser and everyone who came out to support! Bret Bell bragged on the exciting Arena project and also the first phase of Tide to Town and gave a shout-out to Denise Grabowski on being part of the team with contractor, Perkins & Will.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-18 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Tim Cone (Georgia Tech) Elaine Ceccacchi (Engel Volkers) Erika Morrow (ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear)	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-18 05:00:00Z
Announcements unch Much? Thanks everyone for signing up for a Munch-date with your Metro fam! It's not too late if you still want to munch, please email Liza Smith and she'll hook you up (heeeheeeeheeeheee). Here's the gist: Put your name on the list (email Liza) Matchmaker Liza will match you up with two or three others Your crew will have one month to make Munch happen Post a pic on FB because #PicsOrItDidntHappen Get an attendance credit We are at 28% EREY status! Please make your additional (or more) $50 donation to Rotary Foundation for year-end giving. Did y'all see the Polio stories in the last issue of the Rotarian? If not, please do and here's a story that hits close to home - did you know that Whitney Shephard Yates' mom had polio and spent almost a year in a hospital when she was very little? Whitney remembers thinking it was especially terrible that her mom hated chocolate because all of her medicine was chocolate-flavored in the hospital! Anything bad enough to make you hate chocolate has to be horrible! Elizabeth Sommerll gave a Classification Talk. Here's a little bit of what we learned: - She's a Wake Forest graduate (7-1 Woo!) - Moved to Savannah 4 years ago and is from Northern Virginia - Her family used to own and operate a winery in Virginia - Plays kickball for the Pooler Plantains team - Serves as Treasurer for a few local non-profits in town and serves as Finance Director for Junior League - As an auditor, she hasn't dealt with any shady dealings to report to any Board of Directors - DOES NOT DO TAXES!! Thank you to Alfred McGuire for sending us action shots of Laura Lee Bocade with DIRTT as a guest speaker for the Woodville Tompkins Interact Club! About DIRTT: DIRTT is a building process powered by technology. They’re changing the face of construction with industry-leading software and advanced manufacturing. Complete interior spaces are built faster, cleaner and more sustainably. DIRTT removes the guesswork with the power of ICE technology. Looping Literacy Together, a literacy reading project with Loop It Up Savannah and Otis Brock Elementary, kicks off now! Thanks to our Metrotarians who are volunteering an hour out of their day to help read to Pre-K and Kindergarten classes! "Head"ed to the "Mills" - Congratulations to Jasmine Head, now Jasmine Mills, who married her partner for life, Brandi Mills. We wish you a lifetime of love, light, and laughter! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-15 05:00:00Z
Newsworthy Metrotarians Metrotarians in the news: Julie Wade, Whitney Shephard Yates, and Josh Yates (Savannah Morning News) collaborated on Park Place, Green Truck raising awareness of runaway prevention Julie Wade and Park Place Outreach (Savannah Morning News) with Bank of America naming Park Place in its new community investment program Julie Wade (Savannah Morning News) won't seek re-election for the District 1 SCCPS board. If you're interested in running for District 1, come to Coffee Deli on Nov. 20th to learn more.	Newsworthy Metrotarians	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-15 05:00:00Z
Bret's Top 10 We hope everyone had a spooky Halloween! Here's a rundown of Bret's Top 10 Metro Halloween Costumes! 10. Darron Alvord as the Sadist Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors 9. Josh and Whitney as this. 8. Jenny N Cecilia as Salt N Pepa 7. Reshma as Salsa (to her Chip) 6. Robert McCorkle as Sasquatch 5. Until he got too damn hot and changed into his backup Avett Brothers Superfan costume 4. Lee Beckmann as a Sexy Nurse 3. Bea and Liza as this terrible movie 2. Chris Corey as Madman, Don Draper 1. Orlando Montoya as The King Read more...	Bret's Top 10		2019-11-15 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests As a part of the New Member process, guests with interest in joining Metro are asked to submit a bio so we can share with the club. This is our time to learn more about our future members! If you have any questions about the prospective member's status, please reach out to Membership Chair, Cari Clark Phelps. We want to ensure our process IS FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED. Happy reading! Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. George Seaborough, sponsored by Whitney Shephards, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. Sarah Smith, sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper. Read more...	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-15 05:00:00Z
Nominated Guests Laura Sparks, sponsored by Jordan Chase, has lived in Savannah since 2002. She grew up in New Orleans and finished high school in Atlanta. She attended the College of Charleston and finished with a degree in psychology in Minneapolis. After traveling and working abroad, Laura moved to Savannah to live near her sister. She started her career in Real Estate before joining Ashley's Business Solutions in 2009. Laura took a short break to raise her 2 daughters, while working part time with St. John's Episcopal Church, and as a certified health coach. She has been an active volunteer at her church helping with their annual church conference, assisting with the silent auctions, Sunday school, and co-chairing their bazaar. Laura now is back working with Ashley's in sales, helping businesses with work-flow management with copiers and software. George Seaborough, sponsored by Whitney Shephards, is the Coordinator/Executive Director for Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy. He's a Savannah native and is married to Youth Minister, Tyneise Seaborough. They have a 4-year-old daughter named Sabera. He graduated from Savannah High and holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Education and a Master’s of Public Administration from Savannah State University. A member of Branded Hearts International Church and President of Twickenham Neighborhood Association, George has served in leadership roles as a Union Organizer for SEIU, Field Director for Young Democrats of Georgia, Interim Director of SSU Community Future Corporation, Loan Associate for United Way, and Freshman Experience Professor at Savannah State University. In his spare time, he has led high school students on several college road trips to South Carolina and throughout Georgia, served as a volunteer adviser to help students prepare for the Harvard Model United Nations competition, and educated students on the political process of campaigns. Sarah Smith, sponsored by Jamie Smith Arkins, is the Director of Digital Content and Marketing at WTOC. She started her career in television and has worked in numerous fields, including the arts, retail, and healthcare, but the magnetic pull of the universe clearly wants her in media. Sarah has proudly served on the Board of The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism for six years and is a previous Chairman. She is also involved in her daughters' school, where she is the Communications Chairman for the PTA and President of the School Council. She loves attending Christ Church Episcopal and helps with the children's chapel team. Mostly though, Sarah loves being with her husband, Solomon, and daughters, Abigail (10) and Nora (8). If she had endless time and money, Sarah would spend her days traveling the globe, drinking, eating, taking pictures, and experiencing new cultures. She has a degree in English and Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University, a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate of Language and Culture from the Catholic University in Angers, France. Sarah is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Savannah. Karen Terry, sponsored by Jordan Chase, grew up in the one red light town of Estill, SC and graduated from high school in a class of 14 people. She spent many high school days aimlessly riding around the country with her friends wondering what people do in places with restaurants and entertainment. After being a very indecisive undergraduate, Karen moved to Savannah in 2012 where she earned a Master’s of Public Health from Armstrong State College. She began her career as a Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where she worked to disseminate research-based interventions from the national to the community level. Karen is the Director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center and is the 2019 Corporate Walk Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Savannah. In her spare time, Karen enjoys visiting her family in that one red light town and pretty much anything she can do outside with her cocker spaniel, Cooper.	Nominated Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-11-04 05:00:00Z
Bret's Top 10 Here's a rundown of Bret's Top 10 Things Observed at House Party for Habitat! 10. Whitney and Jeanine are evil and were the cause of your Wednesday-morning hangover. 9. The ladies could not resist Josh's tidy, all-business, one-piece jumpsuit. 8. All Rotarians are terrible at Giant Jenga and were thrilled when Bret awkwardly ruined the game. 7. The Metro ladies looked like they could kick most of the guys' butts. 6. Except for these guys, who are totally bad-ass 5. Metro clearly needs to begin recruiting more engineers. 4. These guys looked a little like Bert and Ernie. 3. Bret Bell is the greatest talent of his generation. 2. Professional bubble machine created a magical dreamscape that blurred the line between fantasy and reality. 1. Jordan and Jamie will be planning all future Metro parties until further notice. Read more...	Bret's Top 10		2019-11-04 05:00:00Z
For She's a Jolly Good Fellow Brother, brother, brother! We're at 26% EREY! Say your prayers, take your vitamins, and congratulate Whitney Shephard for earning her Paul Harris x 4 and an extra sapphire added to her pin meaning she's donated $4,000 to Rotary's annual fund, PolioPlus, or the Humanitarian Grants program. We have 3 Paul Harris Fellows, including Robert McCorkle (+8) and Darron (+4).	For She's a Jolly Good Fellow	Cecilia Arango	2019-10-25 04:00:00Z
Stan Deaton's Three Pivotal Elections that Didn't Feature Donald Trump Stan Deaton sure knows how to grab our attention weaving in humor and history! Stan is the Senior Historian at the Georgia Historical Society, where he's worked since 1998. An Emmy-winning writer and host of Today in Georgia History, Stan spoke to the club on 3 pivotal and contentious elections in the 20th century (that didn't feature Donald Trump) - 1928 with Al Smith and Herbert Hoover, 1960 with JFK and Nixon, and 1964 with Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater. Follow his blog - Off the Deaton Path! I vote we bring Stan back, feed him a few glasses of wine, and ask for a Drunk GA History session! Who's in?!	Stan Deaton's Three Pivotal Elections that Didn't Feature Donald Trump		2019-10-25 04:00:00Z
Meet GRSP Student - Ariela Samour Meet our newest GRSP student, Ariela Samour, from El Salvador! She's one of 50 students who come to Georgia each year to attend our universities. These students are selected by Rotary Clubs around the world and must be academically qualified, speak fluent English, able to afford the air fare and cost of medical insurance. Ariela is interested in business administration and hopes to be able to form her own company. She's a member of Interact and the Key Club and her hobbies are photography and art. Suzy Wallace will serve as our Metro Liaison with Ariela. Please let Suzy know of any events that would be a good experience for Ariela.	Meet GRSP Student - Ariela Samour	Cecilia Arango	2019-10-25 04:00:00Z
Raise the Roof, Y'all! Let's raise the roof on yet another highly successful Metro fundraiser! No one throws a party like we do! Thanks to our sponsors, volunteers, and silent auction partners who made the House Party for Habitat a great event! A huge thank you goes out to our Planning Committee coordinated by Jordan Chase and Jamie Arkins! Jordan announced at the meeting that we raised - $16,000!	Raise the Roof, Y'all!	Cecilia Arango	2019-10-25 04:00:00Z
Newsworthy Metrotarians Metrotarians in the news: Ariana Berksteiner featured in Savannah Morning News for the Empty Bowl fundraiser on raising hunger awareness Cecilia Arango featured in Georgia Trend as one of the state's Top 40 Under 40 Michael McLeod featured in Savannah Morning News on celebrating National Financial Planning Month	Newsworthy Metrotarians	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-27 04:00:00Z
Newsworthy Metrotarians Metrotarians in the news: Denise Grabowski on WTOC talking to Savannah City Council on master plan laying out the future of Savannah - "We are asking Council to recognize the legacy we have inherited here in Savannah, and to plan for the future legacy of for our community." - D. Grabowski Denise Grabowski on GPB's Political Rewind talking about the exciting connectivity project, Tide to Town Cari Clark Phelps awarded 2019 Savannah Magazine's Best of Savannah - Best Graphic Designer Cecilia Arango featured in Savannah Morning News for her selection as Chairman of the Girls on the Run Fall 2019 5K Committee	Newsworthy Metrotarians	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-27 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: MIke Muldowney, District 6920 Governor Elizabeth Summerell Kelli Weis Sara Smith Michael Johnson	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-27 04:00:00Z
A Visit from District Governor Mike Muldowney District 6920 Governor Mike Muldowney has been involved with Rotary since 2001, when he joined the Rotary Club of St. Simons Island. Her served on the Club's Board of Directors from 2005-2007, as Club President from 2011-2012, and on the St. Simons Island Rotary Scholarship Fund from 2006-2015, becoming Chair from 2009-2015. Muldowney has earned the recognition of Bruce/Tharpe Fellow for his contributions to the Scholarship Fund, in addition to being a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a Sustaining Member, and Will Watt Fellow. According to Bret, here are the Top 10 Things Muldowney will do as our District Governor: 10. Quietly mass forces on the borders and begin assault of Districts 6900 and 6910 9. Dye mustache jet black as part of desperate strategy to get more young people to join Rotary. 8. Lobby Rotary International to add Irish Whiskey Tasting Tent at next RI Convention 7. Leave Metro a suitcase full of money at the end of this meeting 6. Make next spring's Jekyll Island All Clubs Conference "clothing-optional" 5. Forever ban all future District 6920 events from being held in Dublin 4. Overcome public speaking fear by utilizing ventriloquist routine and speaking through dummy named Mikey at Club visits 3. Direct all 6920 Clubs to abolish the 4-Way Test and replace with the following 1-Way Test: Will It Please Governor Mike? 2. Approach RI President Mark Maloney about forming Rotary branch of the Irish Mafia 1. Insist that all District 6920 Rotarians speak with a Cockney accent and greet Mike with "Ello Gov'na!"	A Visit from District Governor Mike Muldowney	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-27 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Lee Perry gave shout-outs and kudos to the planning team for a great House Party for Habitat fundraiser! Also, Go 49ers!! Kelley Boyd whined about having to miss the House Party for Habitat! Some brags include her 4-month old shop, Ordinary Magic, is doing AWESOME! Come check it out on the corner of Bull & Anderson Street. It's great for finding the perfect birthday, employee, hostess, boss gifts. Leigh Acevedo has the perfect rental find for you! She has a rental available - 3 BR/1.5 Bath house in Forrest Hills (Skidaway & DeRenne) for $1300/month. Pet(s) negotiable. Huge fenced-in backyard, updated kitchen, and nearby park - all in a quiet centrally located neighborhood. Spread the word! Whitney Shephard is looking for Metro readers to join the #CommunityReadingSquad with Loop It Up! Molly Lieberman with Loop It Up is scheduling volunteers at Brock Elementary for our weekly reading (you'll only need to commit to once per month. If you can swing twice a month, even better!) If you'd like to join the Squad, please fill out this form and you'll be contacted to read. Jessica Pedigo wants you to send her any sponsorship requests if you have them - don't forget to add your pitch! Sterling Seacrest is taking a look at their budget now so if you want $$, send in your requests! Jamie Arkins announced that there'll be a Habitat for Humanity Women's Build Happy Hour Wine Event taking place on November 14th at the Savannah Wine Cellar from 5:30-7 PM. RSVP to development@habitatsavannah.org if you plan to attend. They'll cover your first glass of wine. Also, come out and support Sunrise Rotary's Trick or Trot 5K that will be happening on Sat, October 26th starting at the Islands YMCA at 8 AM.	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-26 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, & Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Whitney Shephard invites you to Deep in the Streets, a fall fiesta and fundraiser for the Deep Center, on Sat, Oct. 26th from 5-8 PM on Desoto Avenue next to Starland Yard. Green Truck will be among the food caterers. Whitney Shephard held a fundraiser for Hurricane Dorian relief efforts on Mon, Sept 23. The restaurant donated 10% to Rotary's on-the-ground disaster recovery campaign run by local Rotarians in the affected areas. Bret Bell bragged on the City of Savannah's groundbreaking for the $165 million arena project held on Sept. 13th Sam Caroll bragged on a successful "Wish List" drive for Habitat for Humanity. 14 of our members participated and Sam delivered $350 worth of supplies and gift cards to Habitat for Humanity. Harold and his Habitat were very appreciative. Cecilia Arango brags on Orlando Montoya and Jamie Smith Arkins for all their help on gathering all the information for Rotary Repeats!	Brags, Finds, & Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-26 04:00:00Z
Announcements ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! Patrick Phelps assisted District 6920 Governor, Mike Muldowney, in pinning the Rotary emblem on Reshma Shah Johnson, Metro's newest member (one of us! One of Us! ONE OF US!) Muldowney reminded all members that Reshma is now also the newest member of 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide! You can now find the process for new members (and sponsors) available at the front check-in. Thanks to the Membership Committee for helping with this process. PAUL HARRIS FELLOW Patrick Phelps helped recognize Kathleen Wells as our latest Paul Harris Fellow. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! Congratulations to Justin Hummel and his new bride, Kim! They got married on Aug 14th in California. He says he misses us dearly! District 6920 Governor Mike Muldowney explained the history and purpose of the CART buckets and encouraged donations of loose change or dollar bills to support Alzheimer's research. Every penny raised goes directly to research, while other funds are used for administration. ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE SUNSHINE DIVISION: "Building a Better Rotary thru Education" Registration closes today (9/27) for Parts 1, 2, 3, and a special Graduate Class for the next District 6920 RLI that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5th (7:30 AM - 3:30 PM) at the Oconee Fall-Line Technical College Campus in Dublin, GA. Some of the interesting leadership topics that will be discussed include Membership Engagement, Analyzing Your Rotary Club, Strategic Planning, Service Projects, Effective Leadership Strategies and the History of Rotary. A special Graduate Class on “Transforming Your Club” will also be offered for those Rotarians that have completed Graduation of RLI. RAISE THE ROOF FOR HABITAT - FALL FUNDRAISER Suzanne Kirk announced the change of date (Thanks Dorian!) to Tues, Oct. 8th at 6 PM at 402 E. Broughton Street. The theme will be a Kid n' Play house party with DJ Jose Ray, jello shots, and a construction-attire costume contest! We're still seeking sponsors and volunteers with attendance credit given to both. Sign up to volunteer here! Also, we're looking for items for the Silent Auction and need your help and we'll pay you in make-up credits! While all types of auction items are welcomed, we've found in the past our most in-demand items are usually shared experienced building goodwill and better friendships with fellow club members! Some ideas of what we're looking for: Host a cocktail party or happy hour at your home. Have a pool? Pool party! Like to grill? Have a gameday cookout! Go in with other rotarians as a group to host a progressive dinner or dock party! Have an awesome backyard? Consider hosting a BBQ, oyster roast, or lowcountry boil! Have a boat? Consider auctioning off a sunset cruise or fishing trip! Have an awesome talent, hobby, or skill you can share with others? Auction off a private lesson or session! Have a short-term vacation rental or beach house? Auction off a weekend! Have a pinball collection? Host a pinball party! (can you tell Josh Yates came up with this list?) If you can't host an event, we appreciate you wrangling in some sweet prizes like festival passes, gift cards, art, and more. Contact Josh Yates if you have some goodies! Thanks to Cari Clark Phelps for designing the graphic for the Fall fundraiser and thanks to Kacey Kennickell for printing it! GEORGIA ROTARY STUDENT PROGRAM (GRSP) District 6920 Governor Mike Muldowney explained the history and purpose of GRSP and encouraged volunteers to support Metro's student designate, Ariella Samour, an Armstrong student, with activities such as rides and help navigating her time in Savannah. Whitney Shephard announced further details regarding Metro's partnership with Loop It Up Savannah, one of our past annual service partners. During this partnership, Metro Rotary has adopted Brock Elementary for our Loop It Up reading. We've committed to getting book boxes made and filled with books, as well as reading in classes. We are welcoming volunteers to read once a month to a pre-K or K class. According to Molly L., Brock has three Pre-K Classes and five K classes this year. This means if we are going to start everyone with the weekly readers component all at once, we would be looking for 32 readers - or folks to fill 32 slots-- maybe some people might do more than one. Kindergarten has reading/literacy time between 11:15-1:15, which we thought would be a good time frame for readers to come if they were trying to combine this with their lunch hour. Pre-K could possibly be between 12-1 since the kids nap at 1:00. But if there were Rotarians who could come earlier than lunch time, we might want to move the Pre-K readers to between 10:15 - 11. I think we are open on which day of the week this all happens. Please email Whitney if you're interested in reading! If you are interested and are not yet approved through Operation Beacon, fill out the background check paperwork for Operation Beacon here: https://spwww.sccpss.com/aa/sp/beacon/Pages/default.aspx - at some point in this there will be a drop down where you can select an organization you are affiliated with and you should select Loop It Up. INTERACT SPEAKERS NEEDED! Bret Bell shared information on behalf of Bea Saba who is coordinating Metro's Interact Club, which is a Rotary Club for young people. It takes place once a month at Woodville Tompkins High School. Saba encourages you to consider speaking to the Interact members who are interested in all kinds of careers, but especially those in the career pathways that include architecture/construction, business and computer science, culinary arts, education, engineering and technology, family and consumer science, government and public service, healthcare services, and marketing, sales, and service. We have agreed to provide speakers for Oct. 23, Feb 5, and March 5th. Thank you to Jason Somers for being our first Metrotarian to speak to about 40 students on the construction industry. Jason discussed safety (OSHA 10 hour class) and soft skills (importance of showing up on time, communication, follow-through with promises/commitments). METRO SOCIAL - CANDIDATE MEET & GREET While Rotary International, as well as our own club, are decidedly NON-POLITICAL, local politics and policy affect us all. Because so many of our members are not only impacted by, but also engaged and interested in City of Savannah politics, and because many candidates have reached out and expressed interest in connecting with our club, we extended an invitation to all registered candidates for the upcoming local elections to join for an informal networking social at the Top Deck rooftop bar at the Cotton Sail. Thanks to everyone who came out! Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-26 04:00:00Z
One of Us! One of Us! One of Us! Patrick Phelps assisted District 6920 Governor, Mike Muldowney, in pinning the Rotary emblem on Reshma Johnson, Metro's newest member (one of us! One of Us! ONE OF US!) Muldowney reminded all members that Reshma is now also the newest member of 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide! You can now find the process for new members (and sponsors) available at the front check-in. Thanks to the Membership Committee for helping with this process.	One of Us! One of Us! One of Us!	Cecilia Arango	2019-09-26 04:00:00Z
Announcements MUNCH - METRO LUNCH Liza Smith announced a new Metro Rotary program called "Munch" (Metro Lunch) ... name may change because well, because we're all still 14 at heart. I see and hear you snickering right now (...and I like it!) Regardless, this is just another opportunity for all of us to get to know one another and Metro better. Metrotarians will be set up on small group lunch dates that will count towards attendance as long as a picture is taken because #PicsOrItDidntHappen ASP SERVICE PROJECT - HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Metrotarians provided butt sweat and tears at our first ASP Service Project for Habitat for Humanity. We worked on Habitat's headquarters on 70th Street on Saturday, Aug 24th to help prepare it to sell on the market. We helped repair and paint the wooden fence, trimmed branches and bushes, pressure washed the house, and helped repair the stairs and ramp. Habitat has outgrown this space and is planning to relocate to the Restore property on MLK. Thank you all for volunteering your time! Congratulations to Jamie Smith Arkins on winning a prize package for becoming the first Metrotarian to complete an annual Rotary Foundation contribution. The club is looking for 100% and you have an entire year to do it, but since the new Rotary year has just begun, any contribution that you made before now is for the old Rotary year. Jamie's prize package was a Bloody Mary mix. Hell yeah. JK...YOU TOTES CAN. LET'S HAVE MUNCH! (Cody is totes snickering at this....) Cari Clark Phelps announced that the Membership Committee is considering consolidating the membership process for new members. The change still has to be approved by the board. It's not so much a change as a consolidation of many steps into fewer steps. Contact the Membership Committee as early in the process as possible for more information if you believe you or someone you know would like to become a member. Bret Bell's goal is to add 6 new members this Rotary year. FIZZICAL FITNESS Metro's Social on Tuesday, August 27th was brought to us by our very own Metrotarian, Kelley Boyd with Savannah Yoga Center! We had a nice yoga session followed by drinks at White Whale. Check out our "Rogis"! ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE SUNSHINE DIVISION: "Building a Better Rotary thru Education" Registration is now open to all Rotarians for Parts 1, 2, 3, and a special Graduate Class for the next District 6920 RLI that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5th (7:30 AM - 3:30 PM) at the Oconee Fall-Line Technical College Campus in Dublin, GA. Some of the interesting leadership topics that will be discussed include Membership Engagement, Analyzing Your Rotary Club, Strategic Planning, Service Projects, Effective Leadership Strategies and the History of Rotary. A special Graduate Class on “Transforming Your Club” will also be offered for those Rotarians that have completed Graduation of RLI. Read more...	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-30 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Whitney Shephard is calling all her runner friends! Who wants to be in a posse of 5K or 10K runners to support GRSP? Whitney's running the 10K for Savannah Sunrise Rotary's Trick or Trot event on Sat, Oct. 19th. There's already one metro team, but it'd be fun to have more! $35 for the 10K and $25 for the 5K. If enough people sign up, Whitney may be reviving the Hulk Hogan costume! Um...there may be burgers after the race. SIGN ME UP, brother! Orlando Montoya celebrated his 20th Savannahversary on Fri, Aug 23rd at Edgar's Proof and Provision Bret Bell announced a City of Savannah master plan workshop for the Canal District held on Thur, Aug 22 at the Coastal Georgia Center Jenny Woodruff is excited that she found child care! Cari Clark Phelps is excited about an upcoming trip to LaCoste France	Brags, Finds and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-30 04:00:00Z
Newsworthy Metrotarians Metrotarians in the news: Jason Nielubowicz was recognized by Judge Realty as Top Producer for July 2019 Robert McCorkle was recognized by Savannah Magazine with a feature on his house, formerly that of Johnny Mercer, in a recent issue	Newsworthy Metrotarians	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-30 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Steven & Jessica Alford, new Savannah residents - Steven worked in PR in Texas and Jessica's joining WTOC as on-air reporter, Jessica Savage Kelli Weis, Sotheby's International Realty Karen Terry, Memorial Health Laura Sparks, Ashley's Business Solutions Melinda Fradley, Savannah Children's Choir	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-30 04:00:00Z
Tim Cone Building Up Some STEAM/STEM Tim Cone, Program Director for Georgia Institute of Technology's Savannah Campus' Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computer (CEISMC) taught manufacturing, robotics, and engineering at Savannah's Woodville Thompkins Technical and Career High School, where he was recognized as Savannah Chatham County District High School Teacher of the Year in 2014. He is also the co-founder of Maven Makers. His role is now building STEM/STEAM in the public schools. He verified his geek status by showing his socks featuring BB-8, a droid character who appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. The force is strong with this one.	Tim Cone Building Up Some STEAM/STEM	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
Announcements NEW BOARD, WHO DIS? Check out our new 2019-2020 board! Can you believe this photo shoot was organized in 2 days and everyone showed up?! On top of that - in 100-degree weather?! I secretly gave myself the Sally Field's "They Really Like Me" speech as I walked to my car drenched in sweat. Thanks for your cooperation, you beautiful people, you! Metro's Board of Directors include: President - Bret Bell President Elect - Jessica Pedigo Immediate Past President - Whitney Shephard Treasurer - Cody Tharpe Secretary - Will Gruver Sergeant at Arms - Sara Holton Service Chair: Sam Carroll Foundation Chair: Patrick Phelps Membership Chair: Cari Phelps Communications Chair: Cecilia Arango Directors at Large: Jason Nielubowicz, Liza Smith, Jordan Chase CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES! With Bret now at the helm, he would like to enrich Metro with the following: Tacos Top 10 Lists for everything The 4-Way Test is now the 5-Way Test. Repeat after me - Of the things we think, say, or do, Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? NEW Will it be AWESOME? Metro in the News Spotlights Prezi please, let's make PPTs great again! Your Facebook photos will need to be set to private and hidden unless you want them shared via PPT But seriously, Bret's goals include: Increase the club size by 6 members Add more networking opportunities Every member does a service project Enhance Metro's stature in Savannah Make Metro More Awesome EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY WITH LOOP IT UP Rotary Area 1 clubs, including Metro, Sunrise, Savannah (Downtown),and Skidaway Island, will participate in early childhood literacy with Loop It Up as a sustained partnership with underserved schools. This will be an extension of the book box project we did a few years ago. We'll be doing book drives, reading to classes, etc. and the program will be focused on Pre-K and Kindergarten. If you're interested in helping, please contact Whitney Shephard! SERVICE: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Next Service Opportunity - Annual Service Partnership: August 24 - Habitat for Humanity. Two shifts available: 8:30 - 11:30 and 11:30 - 2:30 at 1106 E. 70th Street Some of the work that needs to be done include repairs to the fence and stairs, tree trimming, pressure washing, and painting. Please go online and sign waivers. We are looking for tools, trucks, and chop saws. Fundraiser - come on out for Hops for Habitat at Coastal Empire Beer on Aug 24 from 7:00-9:00 PM to benefit Habitat for Humanity. There'll be live music from SOAP and food from Big Bon Pizza! Tickets are $35. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE UPDATE Our Membership Committee will present our new streamlined New Member Process at our next meeting on Aug 20th! It's now a 5-step process. Almost (New) Members include Elizabeth Summerell and Reshma Johnson (Retired) Members include Jennifer Huskey (she is pursuing her endeavors in jewelry making), Josh Brooks (building an empire with Brooks Construction, but we'll see more of Josh as he chairs our ASP, Habitat for Humanity), and Jake Crawley (who is now working at Byrd Cookie Company) JUST YOUR FRIENDLY ROTARY FOUNDATION REMINDER! Patrick? It is me you're looking for? Log into My Rotary and see how much you've given. Hint: It should be $100. Metro has already committed to giving $50 on your behalf, now it's your turn to give your part (hint: $50). Other creative ways to give is via social media. Facebook created 2 new non-profits - Rotary International and End Polio. Pick one of those and ask your friends and family to give! SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE Thank you everyone who donated school supplies to help kids in need. Weslyn Mahogany Bowers, with Blessings in a Bookbag, Inc., was grateful for the supplies and will be distributing them to families she serves in the public school system.	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
Harold Tessendorf & Habitat for Humanity - Annual Service Partnership Harold Tessendorf, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, talked to the club about its mission and how we will help their organization. The Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity subscribes to a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. The organization brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Harold talked about the "American Dream" of being able to own a home and discussed Savannah and its surrounding areas' lack of affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity is an affordable homeownership ministry committed to partnering with low-income, working families to realize their dreams of owning quality, affordable, and energy-efficient homes in safe and revitalizing neighborhoods in Chatham County. As one of 1,600 affiliates in the US and part of Habitat for Humanity International, which is active in 70 countries around the world, Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity addresses the need for safe and affordable shelter both locally and around the world. As part of our Annual Service Partnership, we will help prepare the existing office located on E. 70th Street to have it ready to sell on the market. The organization has outgrown this facility and needs a professional presence. The office will be relocated to the Restore property on MLK. The goal is to consolidate the office space and Restore to be in one facility. Please sign up for our first Service opportunity on Aug 24th!	Harold Tessendorf & Habitat for Humanity - Annual Service Partnership	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
Three Questions with Bea Saba What do you do? I'm a librarian How did you end up in Savannah? I moved to Savannah because I liked the weather. I'm used to the tropical temps. What's one thing we don't know about you? I drive like a New Yorker. I grew up in the Bronx and am pretty sassy and rough, which means I'm very assertive when it comes to driving.	Three Questions with Bea Saba	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Stacy Cleveland, guest of Emily Burch Valerie Kirk, daughter/guest of Suzanne Kirk Sarah Smith, WTOC, guest of Jamie Smith Arkins Alexis Spisso, daughter/guest of DJ Spisso Karen Terry, Director of Operations at Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute, guest of Jordan Chase Hunt's Belly Hump, future child of Drew Hunt	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Julie Wade announced that Savannah/Chatham County Schools are back in session and thanked everyone who proudly says #wechoosepublicschool! Denise Grabowski announced that she's going to be on NPR's Political Rewind on Aug 19th! Set your stations to the NPR Podcast and listen to the current political issues and hear from the decision makers. DJ Spisso announced his new position over at the National Guard! Congrats! Cecilia Arango announced that tickets for HAIR, THE AMERICAN TRIBAL-LOVE ROCK MUSICAL are still available. Thanks to Metrotarians, Jamie Smith Arkins and Daniel Weiner, who came out to support! This weekend is the final run of the show. Don't miss out! Check out this awesome review posted in Connect Savannah! Liza Smith announced the Girls on the Run Pace-Setter concert featuring local female powerhouse musicians that took place on Sun, Aug 11th to raise money for scholarships for Girls on the Run! Ann Kuhlke Lee announced her last day at SCAD! She has opened up her own therapy business and it's located near Green Truck! Ariana Berksteiner announced the Aug 30th benefit, Feeding the Soul: Comedy Fundraiser, for Emmaus House. Front Porch Improv will host the event at Ghost Coast Distillery and will feature comedy and storytelling mix starring some of Savannah's most brilliant storytellers and improvisers telling true stories and witty comedic scenes. Emily Salzer announced that she is no longer with the YMCA and has taken over Roger Moss' former position over at the Savannah Children's Choir. Congrats! Leigh Acevedo announced that they are moving into a new house!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-08-13 04:00:00Z
What is ShelterBox? At first glance, it does look like a snippet from the Fyre Festival, but these are shelter boxes designed for actual real disaster relief for people who need it the most. Frank Spears spoke to us about ShelterBox - a global disaster relief charity (4-star on Charity Navigator) that provides immediate emergency shelter and other lifesaving aid to survivors of a disaster or humanitarian crisis. 83 million people around the world have been displaced by some sort of force. It's estimated to rise in staggering numbers over the next 20 years due to political instability around the world, in addition to natural disasters. These ShelterBoxes contain the tools to transform lives and rebuild communities. Each ShelterBox aid is tailored to each disaster and typically includes tented shelter, blankets and groundsheets, solar lights, cooking utensils, water purification equipment, a tool kit, mosquito nets, and children's activity packs. The work of ShelterBox is made possible through ongoing contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. We presented Frank our big check donation of $1,000 to ShelterBox! And then took a selfie because pics or it didn't happen (ask them Fyre Fest suckers)!	What is ShelterBox?	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
Announcements CHEERS TO WHITNEY SHEPHARD YATES! This is the look of someone about to pass the gavel to the next Metro president! Here's a recap on how Metro (AKA Large Club of the Year) did this year with Whitney at the helm: *We gave!* $296 per person to TRF 80% sustaining members 1 new Bequest Society member 1 new Benefactor We worked! 26 service projects and counting 418 man hours of service and counting We grew! (+1 member net) We bragged! Media stories Newsletters, social media, and website DISTRICT 6920 ANNOUNCEMENTS District Governor, Margaret Jacob thanks you for your service, your support, and friendship and signs off with our District accomplishments for the year: Saving Lives Through Medicine Opened its 5th clinic on June 13th in Augusta. Map International now supports 37 clinics due to Rotary's Inspiration Global Grants supported by 6920 Foundation giving has provided American farmers in Puerto Rico the opportunity to grow their own food A well for genocide survivors in Uganda Wash stations for girls in India Safe haven for women in Nepal Water in every house in Haiti Women's health support in Guatemala Feeding the Hungry throughout the District with the support of Back Pack Buddy, food banks, food drives, packing events, food baskets, and soup kitchens Tiny Houses for homeless vets first section opened in Savannah and plans drawn for Brunswick End Polio Now campaign has support Effective July 1st, Rotary International will have online Grants Training available for all Rotarians And support District Governor Elect, Mike, in his year with "Rotary Connects the World" MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR CHANGE IN MEETING DATE! The first July meeting is July 9th (instead of July 2nd) due to the 4th of July holiday. It's a new year with a new board and....TACOS! Feliz Ano Nuevo Metro! Let's TACO about the different committees and how you can help! Also, Bret Bell sent everyone the Bylaws for new membership changes. A vote is required for that so please take a look at it. The budget for 19-20 will be also be sent out soon! LET'S GET SOCIAL ON LITERACY AT MOON RIVER BREWERY - JUNE 25TH @ 5:30 PM! Come on out to Moon River for our upcoming social for casual conversation and drinks with other Area 1 clubs, including Skidaway, Sunrise, and Savannah clubs! We'll have a presenter briefly discuss the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in regards to working together for early literacy. We'll be set up inside south of the bar. DISTRICT ASSEMBLY COMING UP - JULY 27TH Coolio once said, "How we gon' git there? We ain't go no car!" Fret not, Whitney will take you on this fantastic voyage to Dublin, GA. Just let a sista know. Shout-outs to Will Gruver and Bret Bell who are planning on attending! Learn more about district service, Saving Lives with Medicine, the 10 Million Meal Challenge, and more! DUES ARE DUE - JULY 1ST! Invoices have been sent. Don't be that guy. Pay your dues for the 2019-2020 year so we can pay Rotary International! SERVICE: FORSYTH FARMERS' MARKET Sam Carroll received this sweet note from FFM Board Member, Laura Seifert. If you can't read the photo, Laura says," Thank you for your support of the Forsyth Farmers' Market Farm Picnic! We couldn't hold this event without our many fantastic volunteers, and the Rotary Club comes through every year. We appreciate you organizing the team! This year was our best Picnic yet. We exceeded our fundraising goal by about $1,700 and raised $3,300 more than last year. Thanks again for your (and all of the Rotary volunteers) help!" Service dates to look out for: June 29 - Loop It Up's A-Town MiniFest - there'll be 3 PM and later shifts July 11 - Emmaus House JUST YOUR FRIENDLY ROTARY FOUNDATION REMINDER! Log into My Rotary and see how much you've given. Hint: It should be $100.	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Jordan Chase bragged on this year's TEDx Savannah and how inspiring it was! There were about 8 Metrotarians present at the event. You must check it out next year! Don't forget that our our very own, Laura Lee Bocade, sits on the TEDx Board. Jamie Arkins bragged on Cari Clark Phelps for being named Savannah Chamber's 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year! Who knew you could be rewarded for being the "crazy" behind 3 businesses - Clark Creative Communications, Salacia Salts, and Faux Show Table Covers - as well as 2 community initiatives, Make Savannah and cSpot! Leigh Acevedo bragged on being Mother of the Year as she whined about finding her 18th month old chilling in the toilet! #littleshit Kelly Boyd wants you to know about Ordinary Magic, an offshoot of Savannah Yoga Center. It had a soft opening this past Friday, June 21st, to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Come by and visit to pick up some skin, hair, and face small batch products that are all female owned companies from around the US and Canada. The store will also carry medicinal herbal elixirs, adaptogen products, books, jewelry, rocks/minerals, tarot/oracle cards, and all your magical life needs! Lee Beckmann brags on this year's Leadership Southeast Georgia program! He congratulates our very own, Laura Lee Bocade, from graduating Class of 2019! A big shout-out to Cecilia Arango who planned the Chatham County session on Health & Infrastructure; Suzanne Kirk as our site administrator; and tour guides and panelists, including Bret Bell, Whitney Shephard, and John Bennett.	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
And the Service Above Self Award Goes to.... DANIEL WEINER! Congratulations Daniel on showing all of us what "Service Above Self" means! He served as Annual Service Partner Chair and has contributed more than 30 hours of service (and bringing along his amazing wife, Kristin, to help)! We'd also like to give shout-outs to Jamie Arkins, Josh Yates, and Jason Somers for their commitment to service! On behalf of Metro, we made a donation to Rotary Foundation in Daniel's name.	And the Service Above Self Award Goes to....	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
And the Metro Member of the Year is... SARA HOLTON! Congratulations to Sara who stepped up as Sgt at Arms and Program Committee Chair mid year LIKE A BOSS! She helped coordinate our location search in 2018 and has managed caterers, speakers, and members. In addition, she has handled all of our last minute texts, emails, and calls with such grace! On behalf of Metro, we made a donation to Rotary Foundation in Sara's name.	And the Metro Member of the Year is...	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Laura Sparks, Sales Executive at Ashley Business Solutions, guest (and college roommate) of Jordan Chase Karen Terry, Director of Operations at Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute, guest of Jordan Chase	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-24 04:00:00Z
BREAKING NEWS! Surveys are important. Thank you for taking time to fill out our Metro membership survey so we can improve and make our club better. The people (okay, so 1 out of 4 responses) have spoken. By far, this is pertinent information you all need to know.	BREAKING NEWS!	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-13 04:00:00Z
Announcements LET'S GET SOCIAL ON LITERACY! Come on out to Moon River for our upcoming social for casual conversation and drinks with other Area 1 clubs! We'll have a presenter briefly discuss the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in regards to working together for early literacy. WHITNEY SHEPHARD YATES. THE LEGEND. THE LEGACY. Only 2 meetings left and homegirl ain't playing. Whitney dropped a pop quiz on us to see if we could identify the 6 areas of focus! She's worked hard this rotary year in educating us Metrotarians on the different areas and how we've played a part in each focus. Good news! We just finished the paperwork and we'll be officially doing the Happy Schools project in India again for 2019-2020! DISTRICT ASSEMBLY COMING UP - JULY 27TH Coolio once said, "How we gon' git there? We ain't go no car!" Fret not, Whitney will take you on this fantastic voyage to Dublin, GA. Just let a sista know. Shout-outs to Will Gruver and Bret Bell who are planning on attending! DUES ARE DUE! Invoices have been sent. Don't be that guy. Pay your dues for the 2019-2020 year!	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-11 04:00:00Z
There's a Rabbi in the Haas! Did you hear the one about the Rabbi? You know - the one about the native of McAllen, TX who disappointed his Jewish parents and didn't become a doctor or a lawyer, but chose instead to become an elementary school teacher? Yep, we're talking about Rabbi Robert Haas, the current 14th spiritual leader of Congregation Mickve Israel. If you missed our last meeting, you missed a great history lesson (and comedy show - Rabbi Haas also does stand-up and was delivering one-liners throughout all of lunch) on quite the impressive Jewish history in Savannah since July 11,1733. 41 Jews intentionally arrived in Savannah and brought with them one of the first Torah scrolls written in the mid-1400s. Georgia was the only 1 of the 13 colonies to give Jews full rights, which consisted of a plot of land to farm, a house downtown, and arms - which was unheard of. They were well received because one of the Jews was a doctor who helped treat yellow fever at the time. Rabbi Haas also mentioned that Savannah is unique in that we have 4,500 Jews living here and there are 2 families - the Sheftalls and the Minas - that date back their origins to 1733. Rabbi Haas is currently the 14th spiritual leader of Congregation Mickve Israel and talked to us about the 3 different congregations in town - reformed, conservative, and traditional orthodox.	There's a Rabbi in the Haas!	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-11 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Robyn Carroll, President of the Jewish Educational Alliance, guest (and wife) of Sam Carroll Laura Sparks, Sales Executive of Ashley Business Solutions, guest (and college roommate) of Jordan Chase	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-11 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Ann Kuhlke Lee is looking for a reasonably priced office space, ideally in mid-town or downtown to start a private practice. Hit her up with any suggestions/leads you may have! Danny Chase bragged on the Tybee Tri team - Jordan Chase, Kristen Crawley, and Kathleen Anderson! Patton Dugas bragged on closing a deal thanks to Danny Chase! Kristen Crawley wants you to know about an upcoming World Trade Center's Quarterly Exporter Roundtable: Exporting Basics, 5 Things Every Exporter Should Know on Tues, June 25th. Reshma Shah Johnson bragged about hosting 2 Savannah Bananas for the summer! Keep a look out for #34 and #21!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-06-11 04:00:00Z
Tom Sloane on the Transformation of Libraries (L to R: Bea Saba, Tom Sloane, Whitney Shephard Yates) Tom Sloane, the new Executive Director of Live Oak Public Libraries, gave us a pop quiz on history facts (call me the Millennium Master) to segue into the vision of the future of libraries, specifically with our Live Oak Public Libraries. Tom talked about expanding programming and its larger digital collection. He also gave a big shout-out to our girl, Bea Saba, for her hard work as the library system went through some transitioning and challenging times. Libraries are a place to connect and serve as lifelong learning centers because of its accessibility. Some exciting news to share is that currently there are 470 public computers available for anyone to come in and use. Live Oak is partnering with Comcast in a fiber optic network that will connect its 16 locations (in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty) to thousands of people. What does this mean? The system, to be provided by Comcast, is expected to deliver internet speeds of up to 300 megabits per second, which will allow for movie-streaming and transmitting large files. It could be useful to the small business community and for educational purposes. It could provide access to the community for decades to come. There are 106,000 active library cardholders with a recorded 1.2 million visits with 1.3 million items (books, e-books, and audio books) borrowed. In addition, there are 3,500 sponsored programs available for children and adults.	Tom Sloane on the Transformation of Libraries	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-28 04:00:00Z
Vitoria Pagliaci Shares Her GRSP Year Our GRSP student, Vitoria, a chemical engineering major, shared her experience with us and these were some of her featured highlights: She was 1 of 42 GRSP students from all over the world based in Georgia THANKSGIVING! She learned programming as part of her job as an IT Student Technician TURKEY! She was involved in Rotaract as one of the coordinators and is excited that they're trying to start an Interact club here GIVING THANKS! She also served as an Event Coordinator for the International Student Organization and enjoyed learning the different cultures STUFFING/DRESSING! She had fun celebrating different holidays not observed in Brazil. Thanksgiving is her favorite and she also wants Savannahians to never compare Savannah's St. Patrick's Day to Brazil's Carnival. "It's definitely not like Carnival." Cue Taylor Swift's "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22" because Vitoria did turn 22 in March! APPLE PIE!! What's next? Vitoria plans on heading back to Brazil next month. She'll graduate in 2 years and will try to get an internship here in the US, as well as her Masters. She was diggin' Boston! Vitoria's advice to upcoming GRSP students? "Be open to what comes. Don't come with high expectations. Learn new things."	Vitoria Pagliaci Shares Her GRSP Year	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-28 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Susan Klein, Skidaway Island Rotary and GRSP Trustee for Vitoria Pagliaci	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-28 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die" - Cersei "and you also take a day off work to recover" - Lee Perry. He announced that it was his first day back to work after watching the series finale of Game of Thrones and after watching it, Lee signed the petition because "you know nothing, Jon Snow." Lee Perry also gave a shout-out to Amelia Harper, Cari Clark Phelps, and Jessica Pedigo for their hard work on putting together the Mighty 8th's 2019 Legacy Ball. 18 Metrotarians came out to support! Way to go! Kristen Crawley bragged on Kathleen Anderson and Jordan Chase on getting her ready for her first sprint tri! Kristen had a #butdidyoudie moment and these girls got her through the mild panic attack! Something to write "ommmm" about - Kelley Boyd bragged about the lifestyles shop, Ordinary Magic (located at 1323 Bull Street - corner of Bull/Anderson), will be opening on June 1st! Carrying female-owned, small batch natural skin, body, and hair care, crystals, jewelry, adaptogens, herbs, and tonics, Ordinary Magic is an offshoot of Yoga Center. Also, join the 30-day yoga challenge running June 1-30 at Savannah Yoga Center! Community, accountability, strength, zen, and fun! Stay connected to your health and well-being goals with yoga! Ariana Berksteiner bragged that Theo turned 1 on Sunday! Bea Saba wants you to know about NoveList Plus and NoveList K-8 Plus. These are free databases provided to all patrons of Live Oak Public Libraries to help you find books you'll want to read based on titles, authors, series, or genres. Find "Read-alikes" - books based on content or author. Search by title, author, series, etc. and you’ll find a list of similar Read-alikes on the right sidebar of the page. Password cavern expires on 8/6/2019. To continue using that resource, be sure to obtain a library card to access new password after that date and by logging on here for the new password. For more information, visit your local community library or at www.liveoakpl.org. And don’t forget to sign your kids up for our Summer Reading Program. Happy Reading!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-28 04:00:00Z
Your Vote Counts! Habitat for Humanity Voted 2019-2020's Annual Service Partner The votes have been tallied and we'd like to announce our 2019-2020 Annual Service Partner - Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity (CEHFH)! It came down to CEHFH and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Thank you all who voted. Since 1983, CEHFH has brought low-income working households together with donors and volunteers to build 145 affordable homeownership units in Chatham County. CEHFH also operates a robust homebuyer education and counseling program to equip Habitat homeowners with financial, leadership, and maintenance skills. We look forward to fundraising and providing service to Habitat! Our Habitat for Humanity Consolidation Project will involve working on the new training and office space, as CEFHF consolidates its programs under one roof at its ReStore (701 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in downtown Savannah). With Metro's volunteers, we'll help reduce the labor costs associated with constructing the new space. We'll also help with minor exterior repairs and landscaping work at their current office in preparation of its sale. Our $10,000 will be used to cover the costs of purchasing the building materials and supplies which are needed for repairs at the current office and build out of the new offices and training area. Construction is proposed to start in July 2019.	Your Vote Counts! Habitat for Humanity Voted 2019-2020's Annual Service Partner	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-20 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Julie Wade wants you to know about Go South Summer where Yale student interns will be working with Savannah non-profits. This year, they'll be working at Park Place, Deep Center, Step Up Savannah, and Inspiritus Refugee Resettlement (formerly Lutheran Family Services). They are looking for 2 more hosts to provide housing for these amazing college students from June 3-July 28th. If you're interested in hosting or know someone who might be, please get with Julie. Julie served as a host last year and can answer any questions you may have!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-20 04:00:00Z
Announcements ALL WE DO IS WIN! Metro was awarded the title of Best Large Club of the Year because we completed the most activities on the Celebration Citation (membership, service, communications, Foundation, etc.) for a club our size, as well as other activities (fundraisers and service projects). Let's keep up the good work! Whitney has given Bret some shoes to fill! FAMILY FIELD DAY Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday, May 19th, for our annual Family Field Day in Tiedeman Park. A fun time was had by all! SERVICE PROJECTS We've had some great weekends of service! Thanks to all the volunteers who made it out on Saturday, May 18, to the Tiny House Project. Volunteers helped plant trees and made pathways on the property of The Cove on Dundee for homeless veterans. Whitney also presented a $6,000 check, on behalf of Metro, to Cindy Kelley, Executive Director of Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless and was featured on WTOC's Mid Morning Live on Friday, May 17 to discuss our service and fundraising partnership. On Saturday, May 11th, volunteers helped build the first of the 3 residential rain gardens to help the Ogeechee Riverkeeper. Tanya Mandel is working on drawings and designs for all 3.	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-20 04:00:00Z
Nominated Guest: Elizabeth Summerell Elizabeth Summerell, sponsored by Patrick Phelps and Mason Heidt, is a Certified Public Account and is an audit manager for Holland, Bromley, Barnhill & Brett, LLP. She has more than 10 years of public accounting experience servicing publicly traded and closely held companies in a number of industries. Engagements include providing services in the audit and accounting areas for software development, software-as-a-service, biotechnology, government contracting, manufacturers and distributors, financial institutions, restaurant franchisor, airport facilities development, not-for-profits, construction, professional sports franchise. Elizabeth grew up and spent the first 30 or so years of her life in Northern Virginia before moving down to Savannah to be closer to family. She received both her bachelors and master’s in accounting at Wake Forest University and was on the ’99 Virginia State tennis champion high school team. When not working or participating in philanthropic activities, Elizabeth enjoys playing in an adult recreational kickball league. She has a mutt named Kayce who is mostly corgi, but after a dog DNA test, it was confirmed she is 33% chihuahua, 12.5% Boston terrier, 12.5% Rhodesian ridgeback, 12.5% basset hound, and the rest unknown.	Nominated Guest: Elizabeth Summerell	Cecilia Arango	2019-05-20 04:00:00Z
Don't Be a Dumb (Gr)Ass! Take Care of our Water! Laura Walker, City of Savannah's Environmental Administrator for the Office of Sustainability, dropped some knowledge to our club about the different types of water resources - potable water, stormwater, and wastewater. The Water Resources Bureau at City of Savannah designs, builds, and maintains infrastructure that produces, treats, and conveys safe drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater. Did you know a source of our drinking water is the Floridan aquifer and that it's the best drinking public source in the world? Laura also talked about getting to know your water meter. If you just got your water bill (I did this week), check your water meter! It should be less than what you see on the bill. If not, call the City. If there's a blue thing spinning, you have a leak. And THE MORE YOU KNOW (insert Reading Rainbow here). Are you scared of lead in your water? Turn your water on and before you use it, count to 3. This allows fresh water to come through your tap. Here's another fun tidbit: Use cold water, not hot, to cook. Doing all of this limits the possibility of coming into contact with lead. Leaking all kinds of safe water wisdom on you today. Want more? Did you know that your ~~water~~ UTILITY bill includes not just water, but wastewater and utilities? The most expensive thing on your bill is sewer because it's expensive to treat. #eew We also learned the 4 Ps that can be flushed down the toilet - paper, pee, poop....and puke. #quadrupletheeew. And for those who like additional wipes, don't flush those down the toilet. There's no such thing as flushable wipes - even when it says flushable. #misleading Dropping some other bombs here - 80% of the pollution was once point-source (sewer waste), now 80% of the pollution is non-point source - pointing to us vile humans. We need to be water advocates regardless of any political leaning. Call 311 when you see your neighbor blowing leaves down the storm drain! Create a rain garden. Use that water to irrigate your grass (we also learned that grass is dumb). Compost (PS - Daniel "wins everything" Weiner won the composter). Be on the lookout for a cool project in Habersham Village at Jacob G Smith Elementary. The City is doing some green infrastructure design and have received funding from the State to deal with the school's drainage issues. Some solutions are to put in pervious pavers and create rain gardens through functional art.	Don't Be a Dumb (Gr)Ass! Take Care of our Water!	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-28 04:00:00Z
Announcements METRO MIDWAY SUCCESS: Thanks to all the pinball wizards, ping pongsters, cornholians, rock-paper-scissorsssszzzzers, chili cooks, and house partiers for coming out to Metro Midway and raising $6,085! Thanks to our Kick-Ass Committee who made it a success: Kelley Boyd, Amelia Harper, Suzanne Kirk, Daniel Weiner, and Josh Yates, as well as all of our volunteers to make the magic happen! $10,000 DONE: Congratulations and a pat on the back for us in reaching our $10,000 donation to our Annual Service Partner, Ogeechee Riverkeeper! With that said, here's your REMINDER! ANNUAL SERVICE PARTNER: The application deadline is 4/8/19 so please distribute it out to your favorite organizations and get the word out! The Committee will narrow the applicants down to 6 finalists and each will be asked for an in-person interview during the week of 4/26/19, which will then narrow the finalists down to 3. The finalists will be presented at the 5/7/19 Program Meeting and everyone will have an opportunity to vote for their choice via SurveyMonkey. The voting will close on 5/14/19. The application is posted on our Members Only page. REMINDER! ROTARY FOUNDATION DONATION (for you Voldemorts that shall not be named): You know how Metro donates $50 to the Rotary Foundation each year on your behalf, and we ask you to match that with another $50 donated at www.myrotary.org? Great news - you have until March 30 to make it count! Log into myrotary.org to get started. Don't have a Rotary International account yet? This is your chance to change that. Otherwise, you'll have to deal with Whitney's RBF. CART Donations: Thanks to Whitney Shephard who matched CART donations for a total of $153.80 raised for Alzheimer's research!That nearly doubles our year-to-date giving. It's not too late to contribute. Email Whitney if you'd like to make an online donation and she will match it dollar for dollar! NEW MEMBER ALERT: Please welcome Reshma Shah as she enters into our new member program! If you haven't met Reshma yet, introduce yourself at the next lunch meeting!	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-26 04:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last meetings: Mike Nadeau, Owner/Manager of Fleet Feet Savannah - guest of Cecilia Arango	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-26 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@tandh.com in order to be included in Repeats. Cecilia Arango bragged about trapping her man (husband) for 20 years! Happy anniversary! Jamie Smith Arkins announced that it's Katie Joyner's birthday! Happy birthday! Suzanne Kirk invites you to join her Komen Race for the Cure team, Kirk Krusaders! Sign up here! Also, ladies (and dudes) come to the Pink Party upstairs at 40 Volume Salon on April 2nd for hair extensions and other services, pop-up shopping, and raffles! Join the party here! Save the date for April 11th for Hahas for Tatas, a comedy fundraiser starring "everyday comedians", including 2 of our own Metrotarians, Cecilia Arango and Bret Bell. Limited seating. Laugh with us here! Jessica Pedigo announced that she and Cari Phelps are helping Amelia Harper chair the Might 8th Gala on May 11th. Amelia's father asked her to chair the gala before he passed away. He was very involved in the museum and was serving as chairman of the board when he passed. The Gala will be an open bar and seated dinner, with a silent and live auction - including raffle tickets for $50 for a trip to Napa! This year's theme is the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the event will also include a special tribute to Amelia's father. Get your tickets here! Kelley Boyd announced that Savannah Yoga Center is expanding the first floor of its current building and will be expanding current classes to include Healthy Aging Yoga classes, qigong, and a retail store called Ordinary Magic - all slated to open May 2019! Jessica Thomas bragged on Will Gruver's LLS Man of the Year All-Star campaign and announced the fundraiser Oyster Roast for a Cure on Sat, April 27 from 5-9 PM at the Dutch Island Pool. $40 per person and you can pay cash, check, or Venmo to @Will-Gruver. There'll be oysters, BBQ, beer and wine, as well as live music by Patrick Connell. Leigh Acevedo bragged on the Rotary Read-In and gave kudos to all the Rotarians who participated in reading to our elementary schools! Jenny Woodruff bragged on the volunteers (Jamie Arkins, Sam Carroll, Chris Corey, and Jake Crawley) for volunteering at the Musical Explorers Fam Jam session! Get excited because the Savannah Music Festival is here!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-26 04:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@thomasandhutton.com in order to be included in Repeats. Leigh Acevedo's find is the Ocar-winning documentary on the Pad Project in India. The film is called "Period. End of Sentence" and it's on Netflix. Highly recommend! "A period should end a sentence, not a girl's education." www.thepadproject.org Cari Clark Phelps has a shout-out for her "banker on my back", Patton Dugas. Patton and Robert McCorkle's team helped Cari secure and close a loan on her office building. Jamie Smith Arkins gave a shout-out to Will Gruver as one of LLS' All Stars. Will originally ran locally in Savannah in 2014. With his 5-year campaign anniversary, Will decided to run NATIONALLY as an All-Star Candidate. He's running against alumni from across the country. His theme is music related - "Getting the Band Back Together". The campaign is 10 weeks from Feb. 21 - May 3rd. Check it out at 10weektour.com Lee Perry gave a shout-out to Whitney and Josh for throwing a fun Metro Midway! He's now working on his own man-cave. Ariana Berksteiner wants everyone to know that she WON the chili cook-off!	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-14 04:00:00Z
Metrotarian Panel - Getting to Know You Getting to know you, getting to know all about you! We had a blast getting to know the hobbies and passions of members Cecilia Arango, Jake Crawley, and Josh Yates. Cecilia is a Marketing Manager for Thomas & Hutton and is a marathoner, actress, singer, and booknerd. Jake is a transportation broker in logistics and enjoys woodworking and racing remote control cars. Josh is a restaurant owner (Green Truck) and has an affinity for pinball machines. Each of them talked about their different passions, what drives them, and what they enjoy most about their hobbies. They discussed how they make time to do the things they love and encouraged everyone to get to know one another better and discover each other's passions to help build better relationships.	Metrotarian Panel - Getting to Know You		2019-03-14 04:00:00Z
Metro Midway a Huge Success Our Metro Midway fundraiser was a huge time and a YUGE success! People were dropping fists with the Rock Paper Scissors competition where Leigh Acevedo was proclaimed the winner because she got "lei-ed" all night! Josh Yates was busy upstairs with everyone exercising those thumbs with the pinball competition - and can I say, what a stellar 80s playlist Josh had going on upstairs?! Ariana Berksteiner dropped it like it's hot with that kick ass chili that took home first place, while people were ping ponging and cornhole tossing all night. Thank you to Whitney and Josh for opening their crib to all of us for one epic house party! PS - we're still talking about Lee Perry's momma's red velvet cake. Metro Midway raised over $6,000 and with both fundraisers (Yachty by Nature), we've raised our $10,000 for our ASP, The Ogeechee Riverkeeper! Thank you everyone for making it happen!	Metro Midway a Huge Success		2019-03-14 04:00:00Z
Membership Minute with Jasmine Head Jasmine Head is a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. Jasmine grew up in Forsyth, Georgia and attended Macon State College and Georgia College and State University. She loves hiking, reading, sunshine, shopping, and attending live theater. She and her girlfriend, Brandi Mills, have two cats, Sarabi and Si. Congratulations to Jasmine on finally getting inducted into the Metro family! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! What better way to welcome you in than kicking it off with Orlando's Membership Minute! Random Question: What is the bug, insect, or crawling creature that makes you scream? SPIDERS Preference Question: Should macaroni and cheese be creamy, pot-cooked and edible with a spoon or dense, oven-baked and able to be cut into perfect squares? CREAMY Trivia Question: A question inspired by our meeting today at the JEA. The first JEA building was built on a downtown square in 1915 and still stands, although today it is used as a dormitory for SCAD. What is the name of that SCAD building, which also is the name of the square on which it stands? PULASKI HOUSE ON PULASKI SQUARE (with help from an audience member) Audience Question: Have you set a date for your wedding? YES, NOVEMBER 10TH.	Membership Minute with Jasmine Head	Cecilia Arango	2019-03-07 05:00:00Z
Political Rascals PAC a Punch Meet the Political Rascals, a motley crew of a grassroots collective voice in the community, founded in 2019 who formed their very own state PAC in just 3 days. Six of the 11 Political Rascals were in attendance at our meeting, Clinton Edminster, Amanda Hollowell, Coco Papy, Michelle Solomon (not pictured), Molly Lieberman, and Tre Singleton. They spoke passionately about why they formed a PAC and their mission to teach young people how to be engaged and understand politics. What first started as just a group of like-minded friends transitioned into this group of "rascals." They realized that money was needed to impact real change and created a PAC out of spite and love for the community. Their PAC was formed as a legal mechanism to make political contributions specifically for certain goals and candidates; however, their focus is on the policies versus the candidates. As a state PAC, they support legislation in Georgia and all 11 Political Rascals have to be in agreement for any type of support to be given. Their goal is to make progressive change with providing a whole new excitement around civics and politics with new age mechanisms and technology for communication. In 2019, the Political Rascals' goal is to make politics accessible to the common people so that all have a voice, with voter engagement as a high priority on their list.	Political Rascals PAC a Punch		2019-02-15 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@thomasandhutton.com in order to be included in Repeats. It was our first meeting at the Knights of Columbus. DJ Spisso asked if we could open the bar. Cecilia Arango wished everyone a Happy Lunar New Year and donated some dolla bills she stole from her kids' lucky red envelopes. Orlando Montoya taught us how to say "Happy New Year" in Vietnamese. Jamie Arkins Smith gave a shout-out to those who were able to attend The Grey's fundraiser for the staff of The Green Truck since it was temporarily closed due to a kitchen fire. **Happy to announce that it's officially open as of Feb. 14th! Happy Valentine's Day! Jenny Woodruff was excited to talk about the upcoming Savannah Music Festival starting March 28 - April 13. Tickets are available online now! In addition, on March 9th, explore music and art with family and friends at this FREE event - Musical Explorers Family Jam - presented in partnership with last year's annual service partner, Loop It Up Savannah, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers - Savannah. The concert starts at 11 AM and 1:30 PM. Lee Perry announced that he hates the Patriots. Go 49ers! Julie Wade thanked Josh and Whitney Shephard Yates for helping non-profits while cleaning out their kitchen at The Green Truck. Whitney Shephard wants to thank Savannah for all the love and support! Bea Saba wants you to know that Live Oak Public Libraries is presenting Amazing Stories by Award-Winning Authors on Sat, Feb. 16th! Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes, survivors of the Boston Marathon, will be at Southwest Chatham Library at 2:00 PM and will present an engaging program about overcoming adversity. Kwame Alexander & Randy Preston will be at the Bull Street Library at 2:30 PM and will present moving stories and beautiful photography from Ghana. These events are for all ages and are free and open to the public.	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-02-14 05:00:00Z
First Project with Annual Service Partner, Ogeechee Riverkeeper As part of the Windsor Forest Stormwater-Wise Project, and in collaboration with Ogeechee Riverkeeper and UGA Marine Extension, a total of 20 volunteers from both the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club and residents of Windsor Forest neighborhood tiled 125 storm drains on Saturday, January 12, 2019. These tiles educate the public that these drains lead directly to our waterways (streams, marsh, river, ocean, etc.) and do not go to a wastewater treatment plant. Many uninformed people illegally dump paint, oil, and many other pollutants into storm drains. Storm tiles have been shown to reduce these practices, protecting our waterways.	First Project with Annual Service Partner, Ogeechee Riverkeeper	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-22 05:00:00Z
Announcements RLI: If your new year's resolution was to be a better Rotarian and make Metro the best by strengthening your Rotary knowledge, now's the time to register for Rotary Leadership Institute for Part I, II, and III & Graduation (Membership) Course now being offered and open for registration! This will take place at Georgia Tech Savannah Campus on February 16th from 8 AM - 3:30 PM. $100 fee includes class registration, course material notebook, breakfast, lunch, facility fees, and completion certificate. Register today! Jamie Smith Arkins and Cecilia Arango will be attending. Will you? FUNdraisers & Club Socials: Y'all. There's a contest for BEST CLUB Fundraiser and BEST CLUB Social event. We could win $500 for each! Whitney is looking for volunteers to help make our upcoming FUNdraiser on Feb 23rd a success! Please let her know if you can help! STATE OF FUN District Conference May 3-5, Jekyll Island: Registration is free! You only have to pay for meals. Registration opens this week. Stay tuned for more details.	Announcements	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-22 05:00:00Z
Deb Thompson - United Way of the Coastal Empire - Talks Business Deb Thompson became the new President/CEO of United Way of the Coastal Empire (UWCE) in August 2018. She replaced Gregg Schroeder who retired after 33 years. She is the first woman and non-United Way member to be appointed for this position in 80 years! She comes with a strong business background and understands the struggles of small business start-ups. In addition, she has personally benefited from the United Way as a single mother and recipient of United Way funds. Deb says now it's her turn to give back. UWCE has the same mission and focus of United Way worldwide, but is a franchise. What does this mean? It means for every dollar you donate to the UWCE, 96 cents of every dollar is going to a service/program in OUR community. It's important to note that overhead expenses do not come out of donations. These expenses specifically come out of a trust fund - Herschel Jenkins Trust Fund. Deb talked about the extensive process that non-profits must go through to receive funds, as well as the Allocation Committee, a group of community and business volunteers who visit each agency, meet their staff, and see how the programs work. Last year, 55% of the campaign was designated by donors to go to specific organizations and the remaining 45% funded the rest of the programs. Deb talked about the future of UWCE. Where are we going? She mentioned UWCE and the community (private businesses, government, non-profits, religious sects, etc.) working collaboratively to solve our local community issues to make our area attractive for business. She is hoping to create multi levels of relationships with non-profits and have incubators to teach business savvy skills to help make each non-profit stronger in our community. Now, what can we do to help?	Deb Thompson - United Way of the Coastal Empire - Talks Business		2019-01-22 05:00:00Z
The Brave New World of Self-Driving Cars Stephen Lowry, with Harris Lowry Manton, LLP, spoke to us about the wave of the future - self-driving cars. When will all of this newfangled craziness happen, you ask? The answer is...before you know it. By 2020, it's estimated that there will be 10 million vehicles with self-driving capabilities. Some of this is already happening (looking at you with your auto parallel-parking cars). Our streets won't be completely taken over by autonomous vehicles by 2020, but it's going to happen sooner than we think. Some say they will be commonplace by 2025. Stephen discussed the ups and downs of Tesla's driverless Autopilot system and the Google Car prototype - the Waymo. Google has installed LIDAR equipment, in addition to cameras, to help sense nearby hazards like pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists, as well as road signs and traffic signals. It's still not perfect and has experienced some fatal accidents. Tesla has been receiving quite the backlash since Elon Musk isn't a fan of LIDAR - the laser sensor that most car and tech companies sees as a vital component for self-driving cars. Stephen also talked about the ethical dilemma with Self-driving Car and the Three Laws of Robotics: A robot must not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey the order given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. The ethical dilemma the autonomous vehicles face include the Trolley Problem, Tunnel Problem, and the Infinite Trolley Problem. It's really interesting - check the diagram here. For example, are you gonna push a large man onto a trolley to help save five people? Hmmm, questioning all your moral principles or whether or not you're a jerk...the struggle 6 THINGS I LEARNED FROM RIDING IN A GOOGLE SELF-DRIVING CAR by The Oatmeal. READ THIS!!! DO IT!!! ALL THE COOL KIDS WHO WILL ONE DAY BE RIDIN' OUT IN A SELF-DRIVING CAR NAMED BARRY ARE READING IT.	The Brave New World of Self-Driving Cars	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-22 05:00:00Z
Welcome to the Fam, Emily Salzer Our family is growing! Congratulations to Emily Salzer, with sponsors Jordan Chase and Suzanne Kirk, on her induction to the club on Tuesday, Jan 15th. Welcome to the family! Emily gave her Classification Talk a few meetings ago and here's what you should know: Originally from Jacksonville, FL Grew up in Rotary with her father taking her to meetings as early as age 7 or 8 Went to Georgia Southern University Moved to Nashville where she met her husband and started her career with Whole Foods in 2013 there The opening of Whole Foods in Savannah brought them here Career change in 2015 - YMCA/SCCPSS partnership - Pryme Tyme after-school program - non-profit was a big change for her since she's a "spreadsheets and timelines" kind of person - very organized Pryme Tyme has been around for 30 years in 37 schools Husband, Jason, teaches at Georgia Southern University at Armstrong Campus and is a musician They have a 7-year old boy and two 3-year old twin boys Active members of First Presbyterian Church An only child and her parents relocated to Savannah and she likes having them nearby	Welcome to the Fam, Emily Salzer	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-18 05:00:00Z
Brags, Finds, and Whines Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Please send your Brags, Finds, and Whines to arango.c@thomasandhutton.com in order to be included in Repeats. Denise Grabowski announced that There's a new Bike Walk Savannah Initiative called Ardsley in Motion to keep street conditions safe. Also, Bike Walk Savannah (was Savannah Bicycle Campaign) was a finalist for the #FundMyStreets community grant. Their road safety idea was selected to win up to $50,000 to improve road safety in our local community. Denise asked for support on Twitter by retweeting the #FundMyStreets video link. A panel of expert judges will award up to $50,000 to the finalist with the best plan and video. The Chatham Area Transit Authority is proud to announce its Let's Go! Designing Better Transit Together Initiative, which will result in a system-wide redesign of the community's fixed-route bus network. Residents were invited to learn and provide feedback at the first community open house on Jan 15th. An online webinar will be presented on Wed, Jan 23 from noon to 1 PM. To register, send an email to letsgo@catchacat.org. Jessica Pedigo's father agreed to build all 23 beds for the first phase of the Tiny House project and needs to have the beds complete by the end of January. For a good time and also if you're interested in volunteering, call Jessica (912-441-5822) as they will be getting together other days throughout the month. There's still some priming to be finished and the actual building of the beds. Ariana Berkstiner was fishing for sympathy and asking if anyone had a quiet room for her to catch some zzzz's since her 7-month old is teething and her 4-year old is having night terrors. HALP! Leigh Acevedo celebrated the new year with her favorite people and stayed up til 1:30 AM! She gives a big shout-out to her mom for watching the baby! Kelley Boyd hosted a Free Yoga-Yoga Fest on Jan 19th at the Savannah Yoga Center. Free 40 minute classes were offered on the hour from 9 AM to 4 PM! Laura Lee Bocade announced that the Banff Mountain Film Festival tickets are on sale now. The event takes place on Fri, April 20th at the Lucas Theatre from 7 - 9 :30 PM. Bike Walk Savannah will be raffling a mountain bike from Quality Bike Shop along with other exciting prizes. Orlando Montoya mentioned The Confucius Institute at Savannah State is offering free Mandarin classes. Last year, they canceled classes because there wasn't enough attendance. Email confuciusinstitute@savannahstate.edu for more information. The final Day Trip involves cattle, ticks, and raptors - Feb 2 to Statesboro, GA. This trip raises fund for our annual service partner, ORK, and our global grant project. You'll be visiting Hunter Cattle, the US National Tick Collection and Raptor Center at Georgia Southern. Jamie Arkins gave a big shout-out to the volunteers who helped with our first Annual Service Partner project with Ogeechee Riverkeeper. We were able to tag 16 storm drains. Justin Hummel and his fiance, Kim, moved back to PA. We'll miss them for sure! The good news is Patrick Phelps will be taking Justin's place as Foundation Chair. Welcome Patrick! There's no place like home, said Kevin Klinkenberg as he and his family moved back to Kansas. Thank you to Robert McCorkle for opening up your home and to the host committee for the incredible holiday oyster roast on Dec 16th! Emmy Burch is back! She finished up her term with a 4.0! Jenny Woodruff is back after 6 months of practically missing from Rotary Jamie Arkins asked that we keep Clint Murphy and his family in our thoughts and prayers. Clint's father, Johnny Murphy, passed away on Dec. 19th.	Brags, Finds, and Whines	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-18 05:00:00Z
It's Back to the Board with Jessica Pedigo Please welcome (back) to the board, Jessica Pedigo! She will serve as President after Bret Bell's reign. The club unanimously approved the Board's nomination at Tuesday's meeting. This is what happens when you quit coming regularly to meetings...sucker!! PS - that was actually quoted from none other than Jessica	It's Back to the Board with Jessica Pedigo	Cecilia Arango	2019-01-11 05:00:00Z
Guests A big warm welcome to the following guests who attended our last 2 meetings: Michael Solomon with Synovus Bank, guest of Suzanne Kirk Zach Thomas with Bergen & Bergen PC, guest of Jessica Pedigo Daislyn Garcon with City of Savannah Water & Sewer Department, guest of Jonas Subaar Cam Patterson, father and guest of Emily Salzer Tim Cone with GA Tech, guest of Leigh Acevedo	Guests	Cecilia Arango	2018-10-23 04:00:00Z
You Down with O-gee-chee? Yeah, You Know Me! Who's Down with O-gee-chee? Metro Rotary! Metro's fall fundraiser is in the works for our annual service partner, Ogeechee Riverkeeper! Join us on Oct 18 at the Starland Dairy for games, food, wine, and Two Tides beer! Of course, there will also be a fabulous silent auction! Event revenue will go toward the Stormwater-Wise Windsor Forest project. We're recruiting sponsors and silent auction donations. (Ahem....if you own a boat, you might as well go ahead and donate a river cruise for the auction so that the committee doesn't have to track you down.) Sponsorship forms are available here!	You Down with O-gee-chee? Yeah, You Know Me! Who's Down with O-gee-chee? Metro Rotary!	Cecilia Arango	2018-09-11 04:00:00Z
ASP Voting Is Upon Us On May 15 Fearless Annual Service Partner (ASP) Leader Daniel Weiner will present the three finalists. Then it's your chance to vote and help the club determine which worthy organization we'll be supporting in 2018-19. The three finalist have all been interviewed by the committee and you can read their applications here: Ogeechee Riverkeeper Chatham Savannah Homeless Authority Coastal Empire Montessori	ASP Voting Is Upon Us		2018-05-07 04:00:00Z
Nominated Guest: Mike Nadeau of Fleet Feet Savannah Mike Nadeau, sponsored by Cecilia Arango and Suzanne Kirk, is the owner/operator of Fleet Feet Savannah. He's had an awesome opportunity to serve our country in the United States Air Force working as a Signal Intelligence Analyst, U1N471. While in the Air Force, he traveled to Japan, South Korea, and all over the Middle East. Personally, he's traveled all over Europe and Central America. One of Mike's greatest experiences in life was driving in an old Jeep from CA to FL with his dad when he separated from the Air Force. Mike's career has taken him all over the country and provided him with experiences that have created amazing memories. He's a passionate runner and has completed an Ironman, 140.6 miles (swim 2.4, bike 112 and run a marathon), as well as completed an ultra-marathon covering 100K, 62miles. He enjoys music and plays very little guitar, although he does enjoy it. Mike has an amazing wife who puts up with most of it, and a daughter who attends Catawba College on a soccer scholarship. She’s majoring in biology in preparation for vet school. Mike's bucket list includes wanting to hike the AT, fly a helicopter and travel the Pacific Northwest. Still so much to do in life, but he's tackling it one challenge at a time.	Nominated Guest: Mike Nadeau of Fleet Feet Savannah	Cecilia Arango	2018-03-08 05:00:00Z
Membership Minute with Denise Grabowski Denise Grabowski is an urban planner who has been a part of many important ongoing projects that affect us all, from the arena, to the parking study, to the bus system redesign. She came to Savannah from her native Atlanta 23 years ago to work for the Metropolitan Planning Commission. Denise founded her own urban planning firm, Symbioscity, 8 years ago. She is married with 2 kids - 6th grader, Julia, and 3rd grader, Michael. She loves cooking, gardening, being on the water and travel, with recent trips to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. She played for Georgia Tech’s coed Ultimate Frisbee team and was invited to a national tournament with them in San Diego, although she doesn’t play the sport much anymore. Random: If you could replace the bow, the wave, the handshake and the salute, what interesting new gestural greeting would you create? Blowing a kiss gesture. Preference: Closed cabinets or open shelving? Closed. Trivia: Does alcohol warm or cool your body? Denise got it right - cool is correct. Alcohol dilates warm blood vessels near your skin, creating the impression of warmth, while it actually can drop core body temperature. Audience: What is the transit system redesign that your firm is working on? This initiative will result in a realignment of our fixed-route bus network, led by an international transit planning firm, Jarrett Walker + Associates, with the assistance of CAT and Symbioscity. Check out Brags, Whines, & Finds for more information on CAT's Let's Go Community Open House.	Membership Minute with Denise Grabowski	Cecilia Arango	2018-01-09 05:00:00Z
Membership Minute Jordan Chase *disclaimer: This photo already existed in our photo library so I'm using it because...#america Jordan is Human Resources Senior Business Partner at Memorial Health where she has worked for eight years. Born in Macon, she was raised in Savannah from age 2, taking ballet at the former Montessori school, now Husk on Oglethorpe Avenue. She attended John Hopkins University and College of Charleston. Her hobbies include fitness, namely, running, swimming, and health club workouts. She also loves trying out new restaurants and reading, especially historical fiction. She was Metro's first full-term president, a role she earned by drawing straws with Clint Murphy and David Acuff, and was the first of this club’s two "pregnidents", mother of children ages 10, 9, and 5 and married to club member Danny Chase (who proclaimed he is actually considered her oldest child). Random: If you could use only one app that did not come pre-installed on your smartphone, and not including mail, text, browser, map, or calendar apps, which would it be? Amazon Preference: Macarena, Achy Breaky or Electric Slide. Ahhhhh, Macarena Trivia: Name as many of the countries or regions where the following Christmas foods are served: Buche de Noel: a rolled pastry in France Pozole: hominy soup in Latin America Panettone: a sweet bread in Italy Zakusky: appetizers in Russia Glogg: a mulled wine in Scandinavia Kourabiedes: cookies in Greece	Membership Minute		2018-01-09 05:00:00Z
Annual Service Partner Fundraiser Announced! Retro Metro Art Bazaar to benefit our Annual Service Partner will take place Wednesday, Nov 15th. Food, 60s beats, libations, and art - all to benefit Savannah's community art program. Buy your tickets now! Read more...	Annual Service Partner Fundraiser Announced!		2017-10-10 04:00:00Z
Women in Rotary As many of you know, March 8 was International Women's Day. Metro Rotary will honor Women in Rotary at our program meeting on March 21. Judge Louisa Abbot will be presenting and is the first woman in history to serve as President of a Rotary club (Rotary Club of Savannah). The Honorable Louisa Abbot is in her seventeenth year as Judge of Superior Court of Chatham County, Eastern Judicial Circuit. Please join us next Tuesday for a profound presentation by a dynamic guest speaker!	Women in Rotary		2017-03-15 04:00:00Z
Sign up for Rotary International Convention Thousands of Rotarians from around the world will descend upon Atlanta June 10-14, 2017 for the Rotary International Convention and Centennial Celebration of the Rotary Foundation! Convention and Hotel registration begins May 28 and goes up in price over the next year. Take advantage of the discounted prices beginning May 28. Find out more by watching this short video here. Metro will mostly likely organize group transportation and lodging. More to come on that. For now, we hope you will mark your calendars, register early, and plan to be in Atlanta June 10-14, 2017! Registration fees: May 28 - June 6, 2016..............$265.00 June 7 - Dec. 15, 2016.............$340.00 Dec. 16, 2016-March 31, 2017..$425.00 On Site Registration.................$490.00	Sign up for Rotary International Convention	JSA	2016-05-18 04:00:00Z
Metro Gets Dirty It was a homecoming of sorts on April 9 as Metro Rotarians returned to Greenbriar Children's Center, our Club's first Community Service Partner. Rotarians cleaned out and planted the spring garden in the extensive raised beds that Metro created for Greenbriar in 2013. Rotarians worked with children at the center to plant all kinds of fantastic veggies, which the Center will harvest for use in its meals. Great to see this partnership continue!	Metro Gets Dirty		2016-04-24 04:00:00Z
Metro Inducts 2 New Members Metro inducted two new awesome members during the April 5 Meeting. They are Patrick Bentley, a Project Manager at the Savannah Economic Development Authority, and Jeff Harris, Vice President of Human Resources & Auxiliary Operations at SCAD. Congratulations Patrick and Jeff, and welcome to the Club!	Metro Inducts 2 New Members		2016-04-10 04:00:00Z
Metro Inducts New Members Metro inducted five new awesome members during the March 1 Meeting. They are: Justin Hummel, Sago Property Management; Henry Lee Perry, Savannah State University; Kevin Klinkenberg, Savannah Development and Renewal Authority; Cecilia Arango, Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co.; and Liz Parizo, Memorial Health. Congratulations to all!	Metro Inducts New Members		2016-03-07 05:00:00Z
Election Social Sept. 22 Metro Meets the Candidates With interminable debates in Cleveland and California in the rear-view mirror, the election world now pivots to Savannah, where the political event of the season will be held September 22 at The Florence. There, Metro Rotarians will share the stage with more than two dozen Savannah City Council candidates - an unpredictable bunch on a good day. Throw some alcohol into that mix, along with a pair of take-no-political-prisoner Rotarians named Clint Murphy and Staci Donegan, and there ain't no telling where this night is gonna go. This will be a casual opportunity to get to know the candidates better, and for them to get to know our Club better. It should be fun and informative. And The Florence has an awesome bar. We want to look good, so please make every effort to come. See everyone at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at The Florence, 2 W. Victory Drive.	Election Social Sept. 22		2015-09-19 04:00:00Z
Extreme Makeover: Metro Edition We Have a New Logo Metro launched a new logo during the Sept. 1 meeting. The logo started as a conversation between Past President Robert McCorkle and Communications Chair Bret Bell over the spring: They wanted a brand that reflected the vibrancy and uniqueness of Metro while still honoring the Rotary International traditions. They wanted a logo that was more flexible than our clunky old one. They wanted to shorten Metropolitan in favor of the catchier Metro, which we all call ourselves anyway. And they really liked that M. Those talks resulted in some pretty inspiring cut-and-paste sessions (with actual scissors and glue), which thankfully led Robert and Bret to the conclusion that there was no way in hell they were going to pull this off. They tapped Cari Clark (duh), who is literally the best in town for this sort of thing. Cari was gracious with her time and talent, and lent the club the considerable resources of her amazing firm Clark Communications The result is a fresher-looking logo that is distinctly Metro, while paying homage to the Rotary wheel and true to the official Rotary colors. Look for this sucker on all of our stuff, including hipper new t-shirts that Florence Slatinsky is creating for us.	Extreme Makeover: Metro Edition		2015-09-04 00:00:00Z
Metro rocks fund-raiser for Farmers' Market Rodeo! Great turnout for the Oct. 13 Food Truck Rodeo will mean lots of cold hard cash for our 2015-16 service partner, the Forsyth Farmers' Market. The event outside Service Brewing featured food trucks, plenty of beer, lots of ridiculous carnie games, and an unforgiving mechanical bull. Congratulations to cowboy Jake Crawley for winning the bull riding competition. He was awarded the coveted brass rodeo belt buckle. Special thanks, too, to Jessica Pedigo, Liza Smith and their amazing team, which worked their tails off to make the event happen. Ridiculous times had by all! And only minor injuries! All proceeds will benefit the Forsyth Farmers' Market. Metro Rotary is partnering with the Farmers' Market to develop and implement the Bring it Home! program in partnership with the brand new Farm Truck 912. Bring it Home! will provide fun, educational programming in addition to healthy food options through Farm Truck 912 to many local families in food insecure neighborhoods. Bring it Home! aims to improve the health status of Savannah’s most vulnerable community members.	Metro rocks fund-raiser for Farmers' Market		2015-09-02 04:00:00Z
Malt + Music + Metro = Yep Volunteer for Revival Fest! What more could you ask for.....great music, cold craft brews, and delicious food offerings??? What: You want to add a little COMMUNITY SERVICE into the mix.....you got it! Looking for volunteers for the 3rd Annual Revival Fest taking place Saturday, September 12, in the Coastal Heritage Society’s Georgia State Railroad Museum. This is an awesome time. Our very own Jason Nieluwbowzyxcczz?%, pictured above, clearly enjoyed himself last year. In short, Revival Fest is like a giant backyard party with your favorite music, food, friends and libations. http://www.revivalfest.org/ Alcohol sales are benefiting Coastal Heritage Society. This is a Family Friendly event. Shifts are three hours. Upon arrival volunteers will be assigned by the Revival Fest staff to one and or/any of the following jobs duties: VIP Area Parking- general public and bands Merchandise Ticketing Vendor assisting (set up/breakdown) Band/Backstage Hospitality Volunteers will be invited to enjoy the festival before or after their shift. Due to the many shifts and not knowing where you will be assigned to work, this will be the honor system of self-reporting. Once you complete your 3 hour shift, please email BOTH Amelia Harper & Bea Saba at harper.amelia@gmail.com and sabab@liveoakpl.org to get your service credit. For BOTH active members AND prospective members – Sign Up Here: http://metropolitansavannahrotary.org/volunteer/managevolunteercontacts?VolunteerSignUpId=4609b32c-d83f-4206-934a-ccbf82dd3546&Token=8kM9F9KUC_HT93iIwbl80dfZ71Ct9--bP1D8rOBZ78Kj1QkbjyZdDjNnZnCbxzAP0	Malt + Music + Metro = Yep		2015-08-26 00:00:00Z
See you in Ardsley! Family Field Day Needs Your Help This much-anticipated barrel of laughs is almost upon us: 2:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in Tiedeman Park. Here's what the planning committee needs from you: Kids swimming pool (Just one) Water Balloons Bats (6-8 Needed) Buckets (6-8 Needed) Pool Noodles - Full Length (8 Needed) If you've got any of this, please contact Jake Crawley or Jessica Thomas. Event details: A friendly competition for the whole family – age 5+ recommended for games. BBQ and non-alcoholic beverages provided by Rotary – bring a side dish or dessert to share and a cooler with other libations, if you wish. Wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes. Bring folding chairs or a picnic blanket. Tiedeman Park is located at across from Savannah Arts Academy between 46^th Street and Washington; Atlantic Avenue curves around the park. Please RSVP on the Metro website so we know how many people to expect. Bathrooms available.	See you in Ardsley!		2015-08-26 00:00:00Z
August Service Project Metro turns out for Cool Communities, Hot Savannah Some scenes from the Aug. 22 volunteer event with the Forsyth Farmers' Market Farm Truck at the Cool Communities, Hot Savannah event in Wells Park. More than 15 Metro Rotarians helped organize activities for children, and paint the Farm Truck (not the awesome mural pictured, but equally impressive stuff). A great start to our partnership!	August Service Project		2015-08-26 00:00:00Z
From the Metro Salt Mines Department The Sultan of Spreadsheets, the Master of Minutes, the Pied Piper of Planning Docs: Patton Dugas has been a busy guy folks. The new Members Only page Patton's set up on http://metropolitansavannahrotary.org is your one-stop shop for Metro business: Check you attendance, pay your dues, view Club goals, learn about prospective members, read the rules, view our budget. If you are among the Club nerds and actually read that budget, you'll see that annual Club dues will increase next year from $300 to $350. Ouch we know, but still way cheaper than every other Rotary club in town. Beginning in October, lunch will also increase from $10 to $12.50, which will include the Square processing fee. Why are you greedy bastards doing this to me, you may ask? For one, things cost more. For another, we're growing into a more established club, and want to have a bigger impact on our community. The increase will allow us to do more, and have more fun. Check it all out by clicking on the "Members Only" tab at the top of the homepage at http://www.metropolitansavannahrotary.org or by going directly to the page here: http://metropolitansavannahrotary.org/Page/Show?ClassCode=Page&Slug=members-only. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom to get your billing and attendance digits.	From the Metro Salt Mines Department		2015-08-26 00:00:00Z
The Partnership Begins Get On The Bus During the July 21 Meeting, Forsyth Farmers Market Director Teri Schell gave Metro the 411 on Farm Truck 912, our big service project for the next year. The lowdown: Farm Truck 912 is a mobile farmers’ market that will bring local fruits and vegetables to Savannah neighborhoods with the least access to healthy food. In Chatham County, 19% of people and 26% of children reported a lack of reliable access to food in 2013. Metro is on board to support Farm Truck 912 through the "Bring it Home" programming that includes cooking, exercise, health education, and social activities in conjunction with Farm Truck stops. We'll also be directly supporting the startup of Farm Truck operations through a variety of volunteer opportunities. "This is really a brand new project, so we can make it what ever we want," Schell said. You can help shape this awesome partnership during our family-friendly kickoff event with Farm Truck 912 on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Wells Park near MLK and 38th Street. The truck will be there as part of the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority's (SDRA) Street Fair - "Cool Communities in Hot Savannah," which will feature local products, foods, businesses, artists, musicians, and activities for the whole family. During the event, we will be helping FFM with art & crafts, games and projects centered on healthy choices & food education that hopefully the participants will “bring home” and incorporate in their daily lives. The event runs from 2 – 7pm, but FFM would love our help for the set up and take down after the event. Thus, we have created 2 hour volunteer shifts from 1 pm until 8 pm. Sign up here: http://admin.clubrunner.ca/11960/VolunteerTask/List?VolunteerSignUpId=61ddb0df-3f68-4cb8-bde9-82e346b3ac12&SelectedId=ffee7d98-43a4-4fad-943e-665ee9611831	The Partnership Begins		2015-08-07 00:00:00Z
Family Field Day Survey Launched Who Wants It? Mark your calendar: The much-anticipated Family Field Day is ON. Set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, in Tiedeman Park, it's an event you really don't want to miss. Last year's totally rocked. Jessica Thomas' planning crew is looking to make it even better, and needs your help. Please take a moment to fill out this short survey about what you'd like to see at the event: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3S2JBGN Event details: A friendly competition for the whole family – age 5+ recommended for games. BBQ and non-alcoholic beverages provided by Rotary – bring a side dish or dessert to share and a cooler with other libations, if you wish. Wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes. Bring folding chairs or a picnic blanket. Tiedeman Park is located at across from Savannah Arts Academy between 46^th Street and Washington; Atlantic Avenue curves around the park. Please RSVP on the Metro website so we know how many people to expect.	Family Field Day Survey Launched		2015-08-07 00:00:00Z
It takes a village Rotarians step up for Committee assignments President Kirk pushed Committee involvement as the key to Metro’s success for the upcoming year. Below are those who signed up for each during last week’s Club Assembly. Impressive! Grants Committee: Coordinates district and global grants, and annual service partner grant and fundraising efforts Chair, Jessica Pedigo Jason Somers Denise McCoy Cody Tharpe Bea Saba Clint Murphy Florence Slatinsky Robert McCorkle Foundation Committee: Develops plans to ensure Metro support of Rotary Foundation Chair, Jordan Chase Brady Cannon Jenny Woodruff Robert McCorkle Darron Alvord Family of Rotary Committee: Engage members’ families in Rotary Chair, Jessica Thomas Jake Crawley Jamie Arkens Smith Amelia Harper Clint Murphy Programming Committee: Execute Club meetings and monthly social activities Chair, Leigh Acevedo Emmy Williams Chris Corey Jason Somers Kristen Crawley John Northup George Barrow Eric Bull Lee Beckman Bea Saba Josh Brooks Cindy Mullally David Acuff Communications Committee: Increase Club communications internally and Club profile in the community Chair, Bret Bell Alfred McGuire Eric Bull Jamie Smith Arkins Florence Slatinsky Josh Yates Whitney Shepherd Service Committee: Organizes monthly service projects and coordinates annual service partner Chairs, Jeanine Roach and David Acuff Staci Donegan Devon Smyth John Bennett Whitney Shepherd Darron Alvord Membership Committee: Recruits, integrates and retains Club members Chair, Michael McLeod Emmy Williams Jason N George Barrow John Northup Clint Murphy Cam Pope Jeff Brady	It takes a village		2015-07-16 00:00:00Z
Metro inducts new President, Board of Directors New World Order Suzanne Kirk left no doubt about her presidential style during last week’s regime change, ushering in a Canadian-style governance that focused on punctual efficiency, socialist populism with an emphasis on committee rule, and Yukon-style beards. She introduced a new global grants initiative that will partner with worthy projects in either Ghana or Brazil, though sources indicate it’s in reality the beginning of a vast pipeline to funnel Club funds to Saskatchewan. “Metro Savannah Rotary has accomplished so much in our first few years; it’s hard to imagine we were just chartered in 2012,” Kirk said. “Our founding members and past Presidents have established a vibrant club for today’s Rotarian. I’m honored to follow in their footsteps and help our club continue to demonstrate our commitment of service above self both here in Savannah and in the global communities we support.” Outgoing President Robert McCorkle presented Kirk with the traditional framed portrait of Harris the Cat, which will proudly hang in Kirk’s home or business for the year. Kirk gave McCorkle some booze. During McCorkle’s past year as president, membership grew by 5 percent, Metro became an Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) Club, inducted four new members into the Paul Harris Society, and received the Gold Award from the District Governor. Members volunteered more than 400 hours during a dozen service projects across the community, and the Club raised nearly $10,000 for service partner Savannah Bicycle Campaign. “It has been a thrill to play a small role in the continued growth of the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club,” McCorkle said. “This Club continues to be a testament to what a group of individuals can do when they join together to put ‘Service Above Self’ and make concentrated efforts to transform the lives of others. I am proud to call myself a Rotarian.” Joining Kirk and McCorkle on the 2015-2016 Board of Directors are: Patton Dugas, Brad Whitfield, Amelia Harper, Bea Saba Jeanine Roach, Jessica Pedigo, Jordan Chase, Michael McLeod, Bret Bell, Leigh Acevedo, Jeff Brady, Jessica Thomas, Julie Wade, Liza Smith, Josh Brooks and David Acuff.	Metro inducts new President, Board of Directors		2015-07-16 00:00:00Z
Annual Metro Awards Pedigo named Rotarian of the Year At his final meeting as President, Robert McCorkle presented annual awards to Rotarians who went above and beyond during the course of the year. Jessica Pedigo was named Rotarian of the Year. As Grants Chair, Jessica took the lead on many important initiatives, including the wildly successful Grand Prix for SBC tricycle races. Ben Barksdale was named Volunteer of the Year. Ben logged the most volunteer hours in the Club, and received a separate volunteer award from the Savannah Bicycle Campaign for his efforts. Special Club awards went to Secretary Bea Saba, who keeps track and follows through on all the things that would otherwise cause Metro to melt into a useless puddle; and Foundation Chair Jordan Chase, whose efforts secured EREY status for Metro.	Annual Metro Awards		2015-07-16 00:00:00Z
Rotarians at Work July 10 Service Project: Emmaus House Metro Rotarians prepped, cooked, served, cleaned and helped 100 souls receive a hot meal at Emmaus House on July 10. Amazing service, amazing experience. Nice job everyone.	Rotarians at Work		2015-07-16 00:00:00Z
Passing the Gavel Metro installs new President, Board of Directors Suzanne Kirk, President of Employee Development Strategies Inc., was installed this week as President of the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club. Kirk succeeds outgoing president Robert McCorkle, partner in the law firm of McCorkle & Johnson, LLP. “Metro Savannah Rotary has accomplished so much in our first few years; it’s hard to imagine we were just chartered in 2012,” Kirk said. “Our founding members and past Presidents have established a vibrant club for today’s Rotarian. I’m honored to follow in their footsteps and help our club continue to demonstrate our commitment of service above self both here in Savannah and in the global communities we support.” Joining Kirk and McCorkle on the 2015-2016 Board of Directors are: Patton Dugas, Brad Whitfield, Amelia Harper, Bea Saba Jeanine Roach, Jessica Pedigo, Jordan Chase, Michael McLeod, Bret Bell, Leigh Acevedo, Jeff Brady, Jessica Thomas, Julie Wade, Liza Smith, Josh Brooks and David Acuff. During McCorkle’s past year as president, membership grew by 5 percent, and the Club was successful in securing donations to the Rotary Foundation from each of the Club's members. Members volunteered more than 400 hours during a dozen service projects across the community, and the Club raised nearly $10,000 for service partner Savannah Bicycle Campaign. At his final meeting as President, McCorkle presented the Rotarian of the Year Award to Jessica Pedigo, Volunteer of the Year Award to Ben Barksdale, and awards to Jordan Chase and Bea Saba for their service to the Club. “It has been a thrill to play a small role in the continued growth of the Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club,” McCorkle said. “This Club continues to be a testament to what a group of individuals can do when they join together to put ‘Service Above Self’ and make concentrated efforts to transform the lives of others. I am proud to call myself a Rotarian.”	Passing the Gavel		2015-07-10 00:00:00Z

Metro Inducts 2020/21 Board

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