Projects
Community Assistance Center (CAC) Food Drive
Our club has supported Community Assistance Center (CAC) for many years. We typically have the CEO of CAC speak to our club once a year. In fact, the CEO of CAC will be one of our new members as we launch our Satellite Sunrise club next month. CAC provides food to individuals and families in need who live in Sandy Springs or Dunwoody. CAC offers non-perishable groceries, produce and fresh food when available, and additional food at the holidays. CAC offers a Client Choice Market, allowing clients to “shop” for their own groceries with vouchers. Our club did a tremendous job by providing 300+ food items to another food pantry, Solidary Pantry, earlier this FY. Our goal is to contribute at least 300 food items for this food drive.
Environmental Day
Leadership Sandy Springs (LSS) has been a long term partner of our club. Currently, a majority of our members have gone through the months long training to graduate from LSS. LSS is a professional organization that provides strategic leadership development and collaborative civic engagement in metro-Atlanta's central Perimeter area. Through their leadership programs, they develop, educate and connect diverse individuals and inspire them to contribute their time and talents to our community, becoming more valuable employees and civic community champions. Rollin Richmond, our PE, will graduate from the LSS pogram in May 2023. LSS's Environmental Day will bring a large number of volunteers to bear on the needs of the community.. People come prepared with rakes, shovels and a strong back to clean-up areas of Sandy Springs. One last thing regarding LSS, we've been invited to speak to their graduating class in May, for the first time, as a vehicle for their graduates to volunteer in their community. It's our hope that this will be a big recruiting vehicle for us each year.
Firehouse Dinners
Our club provided dinners on three separate evenings to the first responders (fire fighters, police and paramedics) of Sandy Springs. We served well over 100 first responders (some more than once!!) over the three evenings. Three different restaurants and a local grocery store provided the food, while our club volunteers served as host and servers to our first responders.
FODAC Thrift Store - Medical Equipment
Our club has a medical trailer whereby the community can bring their used and/or unwanted medical equipment such as beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc. This FY to date, our club has delivered three trailer loads of medical equipment to Friends of Disabled Adults and Children(FODAC). These items are given to individuals with disabilities and their family's at little to not cost.
Pickleball Fundraiser
This is be our club's big fundraiser for FY 2022-2023. For the most part, our club hasn't done a significant fundraiser for the past two years primarily due to COVID. The Sandy Springs Tennis Center is allowing us to use all six of their Pickleball courts for four hours at no cost which is a cost savings of at least $600. The event will take place on 4/14/23 with a rain date of 2/21/23. We'll have use of the courts from 2:30-6:30. We'll have two flights of players based on their skill level. We are seeking sponsors, see one of the attached pictures. We anticipate 80 players each paying $75. We're providing awards for the highest and second highest male and female player in each flight. Vision To Learn is our Sponsored Charity. A portion of the net proceeds will be allocated to Vision To Learn. There will be a significant amount of Rotary branding at this event.
Reading Buddies with Sandy Springs Education Force (SSEF)
Our club continues to support Sandy Springs Education Force (SSEF) Reading Buddies Program. With the District 6900 Grant of $1,750, SSEF was able to purchase approximately 120 new books for the schools. Our club has a minimum of five volunteers who are committed to visiting the school each week and sit with a student for one hour for nine weeks. A majority of the students, English is a second language so having them read the books and our members giving them feedback as they read will help enrich their education. All Reading Buddy books have a stamp stating that the book was provide by Rotary.
Sandy Springs Farmers Market
Our club was invited by the City of Sandy Springs to have a table one Saturday, at no charge to our club, during the farmer's market held at City Springs from 1/8/22 through 1/18/23. We handed out information about our club to interested parties.
Sandy Springs Rotary Foundation Awards
Each year, our Sandy Springs Rotary Foundation, attempts to award six deserving high school seniors with a scholarship of $2,000/student. This year we'll be honoring the six 2022 recipients and awarding six new students with the $2,000 scholarship. Parents of the students typically attend the luncheon too. We'll host a luncheon in their honor whereby the 2022 students will share their area of study and key learning from their academic year. the 2023 recipients will each be recognized and allowed to share their education and career aspirations.
Sandy Springs Teacher Appreciation Day
Each year, our club host a teacher appreciation luncheon for all the schools located in Sandy Springs. The Principal for each school chooses their Most Outstanding Teacher for the current school year. The Principal and Teacher both attend the luncheon. Each Princpal introduces and provides a brief overview as to why the Teacher was selected for the award. The Teach then speaks for a few moments (some are more verbal than others!) about their classes and the impact that they've had on the students and vice versa. It's a wonderful event and a chance for our club to recognize and encourage both the Principal and Teacher. This is a white table cloth luncheon and the Teachers each take home the gorgeous floral arrangement.
Senior Center Mount Vernon Village - Cup Cakes & Jazz
One of our club members, Bill Snelling, and his DixieLand Band, played for the seniors and staff at Mount Vernon Village and Independing Living Senior Center in Sandy Springs. 37 residents plus staff attended the event. I wish I could uploaded some of the videos of the band playing and the residents dancing - i have one of a 93 year old woman dancing with another resident. It was beautiful. Linda Randolph one of our club members organized the event.
Solidarity Pantry Food Drive
For a month, our club collected donations from the members. More than 300 food good items were donated to the Solidary Pantry of Sandy Springs on 9/23/22. 16 club members contributed food towards the drive.
Somerby's Senior Center and North Springs HS Concert
Linda Randolph with the direction of Gene Jordan, RCSS Community Service Chair, arranged the Instrumental Group of students at North Springs High School to preform a special concert to the residents of Somerby Assisted Living. Under direction of their teacher, Mrs. Dinovic, and with the leadership of the music club officer, Kiera Barrett, the Tri-M Student Musical Group performed a selection of Jazz numbers at Somerby Assisted Living facility in Sandy Springs on the afternoon of November 1st. The group was composed of four students playing an electric guitar, Alto Saxophone, Drums and Bass. Our club provided a pizza party for the students later in the month to thank them for their service to the senior citizens.
Spelling Bee
Benjy Dubovsky, a club member, was a judge as the Heards Ferry Elementary School annual Spelling Bee.
SSEF 2022 Lightning Road Race
Sandy Spring Education Force (SSEF) put on the 5k/10k road race through Sandy Springs. Our club provided financial support in the amount of $500 and volunteer support along the route of the road race. As a sponsor, we have a link from the SSEF road race website to our club's website.
SSEF STEAM Event
Due to our club's support of Sandy Springs Education Force (SSEF), SSEF provided us a table at their large Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) event. This is a hands-on-technology and arts exhibit that runs most of the days. Several thousand students and parents will attend this day long event. We have a table from 4:00-8:00 where we'll be promotion PolioPlus as well as our Pickleball Fundraiser on 4/14/23.
VERNON VOCALS PREFORM FOR SOMERBY ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
Twenty seven seniors living at Somerby Assisted Living Community in Sandy Springs were treated to an afternoon concert by the Vernon Vocals. This enthusiastic group of students, grades 6 through 12, from Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School played the guitar, piano and drums as thye sang pip and traditional songs. The appropriate Elvins tune, "I cannot stop loving you", lead off. Singing through a repertoire of pop and traditional songs, the seniors who could stand were dancing in the aisles. The Vernon Vocals ended the Abba song, "Dancing Queen". To thank these students, Rotary treated the Vernon Vocals to a pizza party at the school on October 5th.
Veterans Day - CIty Springs
For many years, our club has provided volunteers to the city of Sandy Springs as they honor veterans on Veterans Day. We greeted the community and city workers as they entered City Springs welcoming them to the event, handing out flags and providing a brochure on the order of the service for the event. Nearly all the Rotarians wore either the Rotary branded vest or Rotary branded cargo shirt. The city expected 100 people to attend the ceremony but more than 100 showed-up.
Veterans Day - Somerby Assisted Living and Memory Care
Our club presented a Veterans Day event at Somerby's Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Sandy Springs. Army ventary Tom Arial who is the Commander of the VFS Sandy Springs Chapter with therapy dog Normandy. 34 residents plus staff attending his conversation about WWII and the work of the VFW. Normandy was a big hit with the residents. Lunch was provided to the residents.
Vision To Learn
With Rotary’s District 6900 Competitive Grant, via our partner Vision To Learn, our club will provide Fulton County students with vision screenings and prescription glasses for students in need. Prescription eyeglasses will be delivered within two weeks and lost/broken glasses will be replaced free of charge within a year. By providing low-income children with the glasses they need will improve the quality of their education, and the quality of their lives. About one in four children, whether from a family with means or a family struggling to get by, will naturally need glasses. Children who need glasses and don’t have them are more likely to be misdiagnosed with behavioral issues in kindergarten, be considered “slow” learners by 5th grade, and to drop out of high school. In addition to the competitive grant, our club will make an additional contribution to this project from the proceeds of our Wine Tasting and Pickleball Fundraisers. The club has decided to continue to support this project for the foreseeable future. All 833 eyeglases were distributed at Lake Forest Elementary and Sandy Springs Middle School
Wine Tasting Fundraiser
First ever wine tasting fundraiser. We had very little time to pull together this event so our projection of 50+ people wasn't achieved but we had good net income to the club of $3,282. Jeff Trump, the owner of Brooklyn Cafe, the location of the event, has been a big supporter of Rotary in the past. He only charged us for his staff time and the actual cost of the wine consumed during the event. Money was raised by selling tickets to the event and Brooklyn Cafe gave us a percentage of the wine sales. A portion of the proceeds will be allocated to Vision To Learn.