Weekly Newsletter
Week of Thursday, March 19, 2026
President’s Message
As excitement continues to build for our upcoming Roaring ’20s Gala, the momentum across the Rotary Club of Clayton is stronger than ever. This signature fundraiser is a wonderful opportunity for our club to come together, celebrate, and raise the funds that power so many of the service projects that make a difference throughout Rabun County.
It was another great week at Rotary as spring begins to bring new energy and activity to our club. We had a wonderful meeting on Thursday filled with fellowship and progress. Over the weekend, four of our members traveled to Cartersville to participate in the Rotary Leadership Institute, investing in their continued growth as Rotary leaders, while six students from Tallulah Falls School represented our community at the Interact Conference in Cumming. It’s always inspiring to see both our members and our young leaders taking advantage of opportunities to learn, grow, and lead in the spirit of Service Above Self. Lastly, we congratulate the Rabun County High School Boys Basketball Team for winning the Georgia Division 1 State Championship! The picture below shows the team being greeted at 10:30 on Friday night by hundreds of well-wishers.
Recap from Last Week
Our speaker last week, Peter Nguyen, delivered a powerful and emotional presentation about his childhood battle with polio in post-war Vietnam. He shared how the disease impacted his early life and how his adoptive father ultimately brought him to the United States, where he was able to receive the lifesaving treatment that changed the course of his future. His story served as a moving reminder of why Rotary’s decades-long commitment to eradicating polio remains so important.
Following his presentation, members were invited to consider becoming PolioPlus Society members by pledging at least $100 per year to the End Polio Now campaign until polio is fully eradicated from the earth. Right now, these contributions have an extraordinary impact—each pledge is effectively multiplied four times thanks to a generous match from fellow Rotarian Tommy Bagwell and the two-to-one matching support from the Gates Foundation.
We had a wonderful response with five members picking up pledge forms after the meeting. If you would like to join this important effort, go to https://my.rotary.org/en/
This Week’s Meeting
This week’s meeting will be a great Club Assembly with plenty to celebrate and several important updates.
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We will hear the latest on where we stand regarding ticket sales for our Roaring ‘20s Gala, so please be sure to bring your ticket stubs and payments with you this Thursday. If you have not purchased an event ticket because you cannot attend, remember that you can still participate by purchasing a raffle ticket—and you do not have to be present to win.
As a reminder, every club member is expected to sell four event or raffle tickets, so let’s keep the momentum going as we approach our biggest fundraiser of the year.
We will also take time to recognize members celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this month. Be sure to join us and lend your voice to what is sure to be our club’s famously enthusiastic—and admittedly terrible—rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.”
Thursday, March 19, 2026
11:45 AM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia – Clayton
Lunch Menu
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Rice
- Fresh Vegetables
- Salad
- Dessert
Next Week’s Program
We will hear from Bryan Ferguson, CEO of Habersham EMC.
Thursday, March 26, 2026
11:45 AM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia – Clayton
Click HERE to go to our website to find out more about all our programs
Impact Club Update
Tuesday, March 24
6:00 PM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia – Clayton
Click HERE to go to our website to find out more about all our programs
Service Above Self – Upcoming Service Projects
There are several great opportunities to serve our community this week.
Our Interact Clubs will also be out serving on Saturday, volunteering at the WOW Thrift Store from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It’s always inspiring to see our young leaders stepping up and making a difference.
We also have our Food Distribution on Saturday, March 21, from 6:45 to 9:00 a.m. at Rabun Gap Presbyterian Church. It’s an early start, but there’s no better way to begin your weekend than by helping provide food for neighbors in need here in our community.
Next weekt he final Foxfire Spring Cleaning Day will take place on Tuesday, March 23, from 9:00 12:00. Bring your gloves and work clothes and join fellow Rotarians in helping get the Foxfire property ready for their busy season ahead.
You can find details for all of these service opportunities on our club calendar at:
www.ClaytonRotary.com/rotary-c
Important Dates
- March 21 — Food Distribution
- March 21 — WOW Thrift Store Interact Project
- April 2 — Special Olympics
- April 2 — RCHS Band Fundraiser (Currahee Brewery)
- April 23 — Offsite Visit to Providence Farmstead
- April 25 — Murder Mystery Gala
- April 29 — Paper Shredding Event
- April 30 – May 3 — District Conference
- May 7 — Offsite Visit to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
- May 28 – 31 — RYLA
- June 25 — End-of-Year Celebration
RCHS Band Fundraiser – Bring your $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 to help support (read below)
We will be hosting the Rabun County High School Band for a fundraiser at Currahee Brewery on Wednesday, April 2. This will be a fun community event and a great opportunity to support our local students and their outstanding music program.
Rotary will be helping with a special “Money Tree” auction, and we are asking members to bring extra cash to donate. If you have $1, $2, $5, $10, or $20 bills, please bring them to a meeting over the next couple of weeks so we can attach them to the tree before the event. The completed Money Tree will then be auctioned off to raise additional funds for the band.
Your small donation can help turn this into a big impact for the students of Rabun County High School.
Roaring ‘20s Fundraising Gala
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Rabun County Civic Center Ballroom
Theme: Roaring ‘20s Murder Mystery
Event Highlights
$10,000 Reverse Raffle
Interactive Murder Mystery
Silent + Live Auction
Dinner + Cash Bar
Tickets
- $150 — Admission + Dinner + Raffle Entry
- $100 — Raffle Only
You do not have to be present to win
Sponsorship Opportunities
Table Sponsors
- Diamond Flapper (10) — $10,000
- Platinum Speakeasy (8) — $5,000
- Gold Gatsby (6) — $3,000
- Silver Age (4) — $1,500
Event Sponsors
- Murder Mystery — $3,000
- Signature Cocktail — $2,000
- Program — $500
Dress to Dazzle — 1920s Style Encouraged
Laura Seeberg — 941-799-9393
Volunteer Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/
All Rotarians are expected to participate
Click HERE to find out more on our website
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
- 264 attendees registered
- Clayton currently has 17 — let’s grow that number!
Activities Include:
Golf • Fly Fishing • Hiking • 5K • Bowling Social • Cultural Tours
Register:
https://myrotaryconference.com
Food Bank Donations
Most Needed Items
Plastic grocery bags
Peanut butter & jelly • Cereal • Soups • Crackers • Rice • Chili & beans
Pasta • Sauce • Beef stew • Canned meats • Fruits & vegetables
Cash donations welcome
Checks payable to: Food Bank of Northeast Georgia
Memo: Rabun County
