Weekly Newsletter

Week of Thursday, April 30, 2026

President’s Message

Our Roaring ’20s Murder Mystery Gala was far more than just a fun evening of fellowship and entertainment—it was a powerful reminder of what our community can accomplish when people come together with a shared purpose. Because of the incredible support from our members, sponsors, volunteers, and guests, the impact of this event will be felt across Rabun County for years to come.

We are still adding up the numbers, but we feel confident that we will net over $100,000.

Congratulations to Susie Howard, winner of the Reverse Raffle, and to Steve Arbitter of Mama G’s, who successfully cracked the case in our Murder Mystery investigation . Congratulations also to Stewart and Candy Harvard for selling the most tickets at 86 tickets!

We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and special guests—Bobby Hildreth and Allen Bowns from District 6910—for helping make this evening such a memorable and meaningful success.

This is what Rotary is all about: fellowship, service, and people coming together to create lasting change in our community.

Recap from Last Week’s Meeting

We had an incredible visit to Providence Farmstead Dairy in Otto, NC, to see one of the few fully automated robotic dairy operations in the Southeast. Our own McCallister Russell was our host, and she and her family gave us a fascinating tour of the operation.

We learned that the cows are free to come in and be milked whenever they feel the need. We got to see the cows as they entered the milking parlor and how the robotic milking machine washed and then milked each cow. We learned that this is the least stressful way to milk a cow and, because of this, these cows produce some of the best milk in the state of North Carolina! We then got to tour the rest of the operation and saw how everything is done to make the cows comfortable and clean.

Congratulations to McCallister and the whole Russell family on creating such an impressive facility. We can’t wait to hear that the new customer facility is open and ready for business.

Check out our Facebook Reel: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JEYMftnyu/

This Week’s Meeting

FIFTH THURSDAY SOCIAL – NO MEETING

Thursday is the Fifth Thursday of the month, and as is our custom, we will not hold a meeting but will instead have a social. Come to Stonewall Creek Vineyards on Bridgecreek Road and enjoy some wine and light snacks while taking in the beautiful scenery. Susie Howard will be the host and has asked that you please sign up online using the link below.

https://forms.gle/2Ri4hvD2tECekh8W8

Below are the signups so far:

Susie Howard
Paige Coffey & Richard Rice
Joe Bell
Vicki Darrah
Eric & Lynne Vogelbacher
Sonya & Kyle Shook
Tom and Becky Callahan
Kim Lippy
David & Sandy Farrington
Cindy & Randy Hamilton

Thursday, April 30, 2026
5:00 PM
Stonewall Creek Vineyards

Next Week’s Program

OFFSITE VISIT TO RABUN GAP NACOOCHEE SCHOOL

Next week we will visit Rabun Gap Nacoochee School. This is the home of our latest Interact Club. They will be presenting to our club about what makes RGNS unique. We will be sending out a separate notice with a link to our signup sheet soon.

Thursday, May 7, 2026
11:30 AM
Rabun Gap Nacoochee School

Impact Club Update

Tuesday, April 28 | 6:00 PM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

Service Above Self

We had dozens of Rotarians show up to help transform the Civic Center into a Roaring ’20s-themed speakeasy. The decorations were over the top and put everyone into the mood to have a good time. Setup took place on Friday, with the finishing touches applied on Saturday. We then had 20 more Rotarians and Friends of Rotary show up on Sunday to help clean up.

A huge thanks goes out to our Committee Leads:

Auctions – Susie Howard
Decorations – Candy Harvard and Penny Tallis
Finance – Tracy Barry
Logistics – Amy Hulet
Marketing/Promotions – Abby Jackson
Co-Chairs – Laura Seberg and Matt & Laura Freeman

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped sell tickets, glue feathers onto table centerpieces, set up tables and chairs, take down tables and chairs, haul things to and from the storage building, and do an amazing job pulling off another successful Gala event.

I think the word is out—Rotary is about Service Above Self and HAVING FUN! Check out our Facebook Reel to a feel for the action: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LLBYfvBee/

Our Global Grant “Thrive at Home” has been APPROVED!

Thanks to the hard work of our bi-national Grant Team and the support of 17 Rotary Clubs across 12 Districts listed below—along with the generosity of many individuals and the partnership of The Rotary Foundation—we will now begin to implement Global Grant 2577960: Thrive at Home: Keeping Families Together Through Living-Wage Employment.
THRIVE will be a three-year, intensive effort to strengthen and create pathways to living-wage employment, so youth and their families can thrive—safe at home with their families.
This is Rotary at its best: clubs and partners coming together across communities, districts, and borders with a shared vision for lasting impact. In the Guatemalan Highlands, where unemployment has exceeded 80% in some communities for decades, the loss of young talent has deeply affected families and the future of entire regions. Together, we aim to change that trajectory—restoring opportunity, strengthening local economies, and ensuring young people and their families can build their futures within their own communities.
Now, the hard work begins. We are honored to carry it forward alongside Rotarians and our community partners, and we look forward to sharing stories of the lives changed because of the generosity of the following Clubs, Districts, Partners, and of course, The Rotary Foundation:
Thank you to these Participating Rotary Clubs:
Avalon, CA; Boise, ID; Chattanooga Breakfast Club, TN; Clayton, GA; Corvallis After 5, OR; Guatemala La Reforma, GUA; Huntington Beach, CA; LaGrange, GA; Lake Oswego, OR; Mission Viejo, CA; Newport-Irvine, CA; Palo Alto, CA; Paso Robles, CA; Ponte Vedra, FL; Quetzaltenango, GUA (HOST); Russell, KS; and Villa Park, CA (INT’L SPONSOR)
Districts:
4250 (Guatemala/Central America), 5170 (Northern California), 5240 (Central California), 5320 (Southern California), 5400 (Southern Idaho), 5680 (Kansas, Oklahoma Panhandle), 5930 (South Texas), 6110 (Central U.S.), 6780 Eastern Tennessee), 6900 (Central and Southwest Georgia), 6910 (North and Northeast Georgia), and 6970 (Northeast Florida)
Corporate and NGO Partners (Guatemala):
• Autocentro Gutiérrez • Debursa • Xelapan • Local Hope-Xela Aid Partnerships for Self Reliance

Thanks goes out to our Rotary Foundation Chair, Elizabeth Gill. Thanks also goes to Dr. James Bruce, whose generosity made this possible.

Important Dates

(Please note that I corrected the date for the Paper Shredding to May 29th.)

April 30 – May 3 — District Conference
May 7 — Offsite visit to Rabun Gap Nacoochee School
May 16 — Club Leaders Learning Seminar, Lanier Tech, Gainesville
May 28–31 — RYLA
May 29 — Paper Shredding
June 25 — End-of-Year Celebration

Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA)

May 28–31
Tallulah Falls School

Volunteers Needed:

Counselors
Activity Helpers

RYLA6910@gmail.com
www.ryla6910.com

District 6910 Conference

April 30 – May 3
Harrah’s Cherokee

Service Opportunity at District Conference

Cherokee Children’s Home Needs

If you are unable to attend the conference or unable to participate in the service project at the Cherokee Children’s Home, you can still participate.