Rotary Club of Braselton

Margaret Ryder with the UGA Small Business Development Center provided an informative presentation. With 18 locations across the state, the SBDC’s goal is to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. https://georgiasbdc.org/

David Lee, Jackson EMC’s Gainesville District Manager, shared about the service, cyber security, and the major impact of giving back to the community.

April Rooks, Founder and President of Amped Kids, spoke to our club this morning. She stressed the importance of music in the lives of children, particularly those in Georgia’s Foster Care Program. For more information, go to ampedkids.org to see how this organization is using singing and playing musical instruments to transform lives.

Zach Propes, Hall County Administrator, educated the club this morning on the upcoming TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) initiative that will be put before voters in Hall County in the upcoming November election. He also gave an overview of future transportation projects planned for the county.

The Transportation SPLOST webpage is live on the Hall County website. To view this, please visit the following link: https://www.hallcounty.org/1164/Transportation-SPLOST

This morning, Braselton Rotarians had the opportunity to hear from Tommy Jennings, President and CEO of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, on the state of Barrow County and surrounding areas. Tommy shared statistics of the diversification happening as well as growth in population and minority businesses.

Christina Robeson, Director of Beautiful Feet Ministry, spoke to Braselton Rotarians this morning about the rehabilitation of s*xually exploited women. Her ministry is centered around core values of faith, hope, love and respect. It is a Christ-centered residential program seeking to offer long-term, thorough care for women ready to escape the s*x trafficking industry.
To learn more about this amazing ministry and the vital work they do for our community, visit
straightstreetministry.org/ beautifulfeet.

Our Rotary Club is excited to award SCHOLARSHIPS to local students! New scholarship winners spoke at the club meeting to share their future plans. There has been a total of 23 recipients in the last ten years. Photographed is scholarship chair and club member Michelle Zimmerman, along with three new winners: Macie Merchant (Georgia Tech), Lilly Dyson (Lanier Tech), and Takara Aguilar (UGA). Also returning to provide the club an update were Gracie Strickland (second year at UGA) and Haley McMenomy (fourth year at Georgia Tech).

John Scott, the Jackson County Economic Development Director, presented great information. He shared about the county's growth and industrial, commercial, and retail focus balance. He answered questions about the tax benefits to the county and schools and other areas of interest. John was introduced at the meeting by club member Chad Bingham.

Today, David Dyer passed the gavel to Tracy Woodall as the new 2024-25 Braselton Rotary Club President. Our board and the many members are passionate about upcoming initiatives to impact our communities!
(Club Board: Sue Wyatt - Secretary; Scott Griggs - President-Elect; Tracy Woodall - President; Jeanne Stolar - Secretary; Trey Bennett - Sgt. of Arms)
Learn more on how you can get involved: www.braseltonrotary.org

Thank you, Andy Garrison, Rotary Assistant Governor, for visiting and supporting the Braselton Rotary Club this morning. He introduced the new annual theme, The Magic of Rotary, and presented inspiring video messages from Stephanie Urchick, President of Rotary International, and Bobby Hildredth, Rotary District Governor.

The president of the Braselton Rotary Club, David Dyer, gave an impactful review of the club's many accomplishments, from fundraising to community service and impact. We greatly appreciate David's leadership and passion.

Trey Bennett with the Governor's Office provided a great update on state-wide happenings and answered questions. We appreciate first-hand information and appreciate Trey.

It is exciting to contribute funds raised at the Annual Rotary Golf Tournament to local food banks in the area. Mary Warren from North Gwinnett Co-Op accepted the $5,000 donation at the most recent club meeting.

Derrick McCollum, Georgia State Representative, provided a legislative update on hot topics, education, and safety.

Congratulations to club members Gary Smith and Leigh Ann Paugh for achieving the Paul Harris Fellow Award for contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Our Braselton Rotary Club provided financial assistance, ensuring that children from low-income families could participate in YMCA enriching camp experiences. Our club member Lizzie Kelly and also Lane Walberg (CEO and President of Georgia Mountains YMCA) shared their passion for the impact on kids.

It was great to hear from Kelsey Jones about FCA in Jackson County. Our club provided funds to send athletes to camp this summer, and impacting the local youth is a priority for our club members.

Our fundraising efforts have directly supported the Emergency Shelter and housing program for families affected by domestic violence. Funds were presented to Katha Blackwell for Partnership Against Domestic Violence.

The Braselton Rotary Club presented Chris and Lisa Tarver with Camp Amplify funds to provide summer camp experiences to underprivileged children. We are honored to be a part of impacting children.

Braselton Rotary Club presented funds to enable master's and doctoral level students from Brenau University to continue to provide no-fee treatment to some of the area's most impoverished and at­ risk residents. David Dyer presented the check to Dr. David Barnett and Carrie Williams. The Rotary Club is passionate about supporting programs that impact our local community.

David Dyer presented Scott Griggs, Paul Butler, Rekha Desai, and Hardy Johnson with the Paul Harris Award for Foundation Giving. Tracy Woodall and Charm McCall achieved the next level of recognition. Giving to the Rotary Foundation provides funds to impact both local and international needs.

Our Rotary Club President, David Dyer, thanked several club members for their dedicated 2023-24 service to the club and the community.

Mark and Rosemary, club members, won the accumulated 50/50 Raffle. They generously donated winnings back to the Rotary Foundation, which is at the heart of making a difference.