What’s happening at the Rotary Club of Clayton this week – 10/20/2025
Rotary Club of Clayton Weekly Newsletter 📅 Thursday, October 23, 2025 🕰️ 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM 📍 Food Bank…
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This Week's Happenings
About the Rotary Club of Clayton
The Rotary Club of Clayton is proud to be a local chapter of Rotary International—a global network of neighbors, friends, and leaders who come together to create lasting change. Our members share a passion for service, fellowship, and making a positive difference both in our community and around the world.
What We Do:
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Connect Business and Community Leaders: We bring together a diverse group of professionals and community members who are committed to improving lives in Rabun County and beyond.
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Host Meetings, Fundraisers, and Service Projects: Through regular gatherings, fundraising events, and hands-on projects, we build strong bonds while working toward common goals.
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Foster Fellowship and Leadership: Rotary provides opportunities for personal growth, leadership development, and ethical service, strengthening both individuals and the communities they serve.
Our Focus Areas:
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Education: Promoting education through scholarships and supporting initiatives that empower students to succeed.
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Health and Peace: Supporting clean water projects, fighting disease, promoting peace, and fostering healthy communities around the world.
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Community Support: Partnering with local nonprofits, backing essential community initiatives, and lending a helping hand where it’s needed most.
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Youth Development: Mentoring and inspiring the next generation of leaders through service opportunities and leadership programs.
Whether it’s organizing charity drives, awarding scholarships, participating in international relief efforts, or volunteering at local events, the Rotary Club of Clayton is dedicated to building stronger communities and creating a better world for all.
RECENT NEWS & EVENTS
Rotary Club of Clayton Newsletter | October 8, 2026
The October 8, 2026, Rotary Club of Clayton newsletter highlights the Rotary-CDC partnership, Polio Awareness Month, upcoming speakers, service opportunities, Pickleball Poker for PolioPlus, fellowship events and Food Bank needs.
Rotary Club of Clayton Weekly Newsletter October 1st, 2026
The October 1, 2026, Rotary Club of Clayton newsletter recognizes Polio Awareness Month and shares upcoming programs, volunteer opportunities, PolioPlus fundraising events, fellowship activities and important club reminders.
Rotary Club of Clayton Weekly Newsletter September 24th, 2026
Rotary Club of Clayton Weekly Newsletter (Sept 24, 2026): leadership training, learning resources, meeting details, and upcoming service opportunities.
🌎💙💛 From Brazil to Georgia — Connecting Cultures Through Rotary!
Join the Rotary Club of Clayton this Thursday, October 15, as we welcome Thomas Tanabe, a Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) scholar from Brazil, as our guest speaker!
Thomas is studying Software Engineering and has a passion for technology, leadership, music, and community service. From leading innovative technology projects to volunteering alongside his family through Rotary and Rotaract in Brazil, Thomas has already discovered the impact that service and meaningful connections can have on a community.
Through the Georgia Rotary Student Program, Thomas hopes to experience new cultures, build lasting friendships, and strengthen his ability to make a difference in the world.
We look forward to hearing about his journey from Brazil to Georgia, his experiences with Rotary, and what this opportunity means for his future!
📅 Thursday, October 15, 2026
🕦 Fellowship: 11:45 AM
🍽️ Lunch: 12:00 PM
📍 Food Bank of Northeast Georgia
Rotary of Clayton Community Room | Clayton, GA
💙💛 Rotary connects people across communities, cultures, and continents — creating lasting impact along the way!
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Together for Mental Health: Creating A Happier World, Empowering Healthy Minds
Click below to learn more about Global Rotary Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives (RAGMHI) — a passionate collective of Rotarians and non-Rotarians committed to reshaping the landscape of mental health across the globe. Since our charter in 2016, we’ve united members from five countries around a common vision: to empower communities with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to flourish mentally and emotionally.
If you're someone who believes in the importance of mental well-being, get ready to make a meaningful difference.
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Rotary Club of Clayton is making a lasting impact in Rabun County! 💙💛
Our first-quarter service results demonstrate the incredible dedication of our members and their commitment to serving our community!
🌟 17 Community Service Projects
🌟 187 Volunteer Participations
🌟 464 Hours of Service
👏 Introducing our Rotary Service Star Recognition Program!
To celebrate our members who go above and beyond, Rotarians who participate in community service projects will receive a special Service Star to proudly display on their Rotary name badge! ⭐
Each star represents more than volunteer hours—it symbolizes compassion, commitment, and the power of working together to make a difference.
Small acts of service create lasting impact!
Together, we are Uniting for Good to Create Lasting Impact, living Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self!
#RotaryClubOfClayton #ServiceAboveSelf #RotaryServiceStars #UniteForGood #RabunCounty #PeopleOfAction #CommunityService
#District6910
#Rotary6910
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📚 September may be over, but the impact of literacy lasts all year long.
September is recognized as Basic Education & Literacy Month in Rotary, and although we didn’t get a chance to highlight it last month, this work is far too important not to share.
For the Rotary Club of Clayton, supporting literacy isn’t something we focus on for just one month—it’s something we’ve been investing in right here at home for years.
Each year, through The Dictionary Project, we provide dictionaries to local third graders—an important age when students begin making the shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
And since 2018, Rotary of Clayton has partnered with the University of Georgia Literacy Project to place more than 400 books in schools throughout the Rabun County School System and Rabun Gap.
Each week, a book is given in honor of our guest speaker and then donated to a school library—meaning one book has the opportunity to reach student after student, year after year.
💙💛 One book may seem small. But put hundreds of them into the hands of children, and the impact is anything but small.
#BuildingReaders #SupportingEducation #LastingImpact #District6910 #BasicEducationAndLiteracyMonth #Rotary6910
That’s Service Above Self. ... See MoreSee Less
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This Thursday at Rotary Club of Clayton!
Join us on Thursday, October 8 as we welcome Dr. John Anderton as our guest speaker.
Dr. Anderton will be speaking on the National Authority for the Containment of Poliovirus, a national CDC initiative focused on securing the remaining laboratory stockpiles of poliovirus as a vital step toward the elimination of the disease.
Because polio eradication has been one of Rotary International’s signature global initiatives for decades, this week’s program is especially relevant to the work and mission of Rotary around the world.
📍 Food Bank of Northeast Georgia – Rotary of Clayton Community Room
🕦 Fellowship: 11:45 AM
🕛 Lunch: 12:00 PM
We hope you’ll join us for this important and informative program.
#RotaryClubOfClayton #ServiceAboveSelf #CreateLastingImpact #EndPolioNow #RotaryInternational ... See MoreSee Less
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🎙️ This Week at Rotary | October 1
Join us this Thursday, October 1, as the Rotary Club of Clayton welcomes Mark Valentine of the Rotary Club of Banks County.
Mark is a longtime Rotary leader who currently chairs the District Membership Admin Subcommittee and publishes the monthly Membership Express newsletter. His Rotary service has also included roles as District Public Image Committee Chair, District Membership Committee Chair, Assistant Governor, and Club President.
His commitment to Rotary has taken him around the world. In 2023, Mark traveled to India for a polio immunization project, and in 2024, he traveled to Vietnam with an Alliance for Smiles cleft-lip surgery team.
🌍 This week, Mark will speak about the current state of the fight to eradicate polio — a timely conversation as Rotary prepares to recognize World Polio Day on October 24.
We’re looking forward to hearing from someone who has seen Rotary’s global impact firsthand!
📅 Thursday, October 1
📍 Food Bank of Northeast Georgia
Rotary of Clayton Community Room
🤝 Fellowship | 11:45 AM
🍽️ Lunch & Program | 12:00 PM
Come join us!
#RotaryClubOfClayton #EndPolioNow #WorldPolioDay #ServiceAboveSelf #CreateLastingImpact ... See MoreSee Less
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💙💛 MEET YOUR ROTARY LEADERSHIP 💛💙
This Friday, we’re shining the spotlight on Stewart Harvard, Sergeant-at-Arms for the Rotary Club of Clayton!
🐾 A little about Stewart:
Stewart is a lifelong animal lover and professional animal trainer with more than 47 years of experience. His career has taken him around the world, competing at the highest levels of dog sports—including the World Championship in Nijmegen, Netherlands—and earning multiple national championships across different disciplines.
🌎 Stewart has traveled to Europe more than 30 times to train alongside some of the most accomplished dog trainers in the world. He has also imported hundreds of dogs for law enforcement, sport, and breeding programs throughout the United States.
🕊️ In 2017, Stewart even became the #1 racing pigeon breeder in America!
As our Sergeant-at-Arms, Stewart helps keep our meetings organized and running smoothly—but most of us probably know him best for running around the room with the microphone during Happy Dollars! 🎤😂 He keeps us on our toes and always adds a little extra fun to our Thursday meetings.
We’re thankful to have Stewart serving as part of our Rotary leadership team!
💙💛 Service Above Self
#RotaryClubOfClayton #MeetYourRotaryLeadership #ServiceAboveSelf #CreateLastingImpact ... See MoreSee Less
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🎉 CELEBRATING ONE YEAR OF COMMUNITY IMPACT! 🎉
September 22nd marked the 1-Year Anniversary of the
Rotary Club of Clayton Impact Club!
Established with just 8 members, our Impact Club has grown to 22 members—and what an incredible first year of Service Above Self!
💙 SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Our members have rolled up their sleeves throughout Rabun County:
• Traces of Tiger — Christmas caroling, Valentine’s goodie bags and visits, and spring landscaping
• Food Bank — Walmart food collections resulting in 4,850 pounds of food and $1,124 in cash donations, plus stocking shelves
• First Impressions — Collected approximately $3,000 in children’s clothing donations at Walmart
• Adopt-a-Road / Forward Rabun — Completed two road cleanups
• Women of Worth (WOW) — Partnered with our Interact Clubs on spring landscaping
• Clayton Merchants & Business Association — Volunteered for Halloween activities and prepared and sold 300 hamburgers and hot dogs for Stars Over Clayton
• CART — Rotary’s Alzheimer’s Research — Raised more than $1,000
🤝 ONE ROTARY FAMILY
Impact members also joined our Day Club in serving through food distributions, Special Olympics, Sound the Alarm, the holiday float and toothbrush giveaway, Foxfire cleanups, and other projects.
Our members provided both manpower and financial support for the Club’s fundraising Gala—with one Impact member alone selling 20% of all tickets and generating more than $10,000!
And today, three Impact members serve in key roles on the Club Board.
💛💙 ONE YEAR. 22 MEMBERS. COUNTLESS HOURS OF SERVICE. ONE LASTING IMPACT. Happy 1st Anniversary, Impact Club! 🎉
##ImpactClub, #CreatingLastingImpact #rabuncountyga, Rotary District 6910, #ServiceAboveSelf, #PeopleOfAction, #UniteForGood, #RotaryClubOfClayton ... See MoreSee Less
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“Healthy Habits for a Stronger Life.”
Meet Our Guest Speaker — Hillary Marshall
Owner, Fit for This Journey
Co-Owner, Thrive Wellness Hub | Clayton, Georgia
Hillary Marshall combines a background in biomedical engineering and business strategy with a passion for helping people live stronger, healthier lives.
A certified yoga teacher and personal trainer, Hillary especially enjoys helping women in midlife build strength, mobility, healthy habits, and confidence so they can continue doing the things they love.
Through Fit for This Journey and Thrive Wellness Hub, she offers personal training, yoga, fitness classes, workshops, retreats, and opportunities for community connection and learning.
Her philosophy is simple: Health isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating simple, sustainable habits that support you for the long term. ... See MoreSee Less
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