Weekly Newsletter
Week of Thursday, May 14, 2026
President’s Message
Throughout this entire year, our club has continued to grow, serve, and make a meaningful impact throughout our community. From service projects and food distributions to supporting youth initiatives and community partnerships, our members continue to demonstrate what it means to live out Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.”
As we head into the final stretch of the 2025–2026 Rotary year, we still have plenty of opportunities to serve, learn, and have fun. We have some great service projects coming up: “SOUND THE ALARM,” the Epic Day of Service, and Rotary Chefs. We are now planning our End of the Year Celebration. Also, don’t forget about the biggest learning event of the year, Club Leaders Learning Seminar. Read on to get more details.
Thank you for everything you do to make the Rotary Club of Clayton such a special organization. Together, we continue to unite for good and make a lasting impact in Rabun County and beyond.
Recap from Last Week’s Meeting
We traveled to Rabun Gap Nacoochee School this past Thursday, where we heard a great presentation from Ryne Linsley on how GOAL scholarships are making an impact on school choice and how contributing comes off your state income taxes dollar for dollar. He also shared with us the program that will soon be available at the federal level.
We then heard from three of our RGNS Interact students. They went over what it means to them to be involved in Service Above Self and their motivations for joining Interact. Each one expressed how excited they were to be involved in Rotary/Interact.
We finished up by presenting a $1,000 scholarship to graduating senior Kendall Weisser. She has been involved in chartering the RGNS Interact Club this year and is an incredible student. Best of wishes, Kendall! Below is our Youth Services Chair, Amy Hulett, presenting the scholarship to the RGNS Interact Falculty Advisor, Anne Shook.
We will be going to Rabun County High School this week to hand out scholarships. Thank you to our members who made it possible for the Rotary Club of Clayton to give out 10 scholarships this year.
See our Facebook Reel:
https://www.facebook.com/
This Week’s Meeting
Our guest speaker will be Walker Rice of MedLink. He will be talking about how the new MedLink facility is going to impact healthcare in Rabun County.
What’s on the Menu?
This week’s lunch menu includes:
- Fried Chicken
- Smoked Chicken (Gluten Free)
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Salad
- Dessert
Thursday, May 14, 2026
11:30 AM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, Rotary Community Room
Next Week’s Program
We will be having our last Club Assembly of this Rotary year the following Thursday. We will be hearing from more of our members, and we will lay out what lies ahead for our Club.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
11:30 AM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, Rotary Community Room
Impact Club Update
Tuesday, May 12 | 6:00 PM
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia
Service Above Self
We had 14 Rotarians show up for the Lake Burton Cleanup Day. The Impact Club did a great job of lining up boats and matching up volunteers to man them. We collected trash and floating debris and filled two dumpsters over the 2½ hours we were on the water.
We also got to hear from the Savannah Riverkeeper, who gave us some great news about how the efforts of some of our members to monitor water quality on Lake Burton have been so successful that the program will now be expanded to all the lakes in Rabun County.
Check out our Facebook Reel:
https://www.facebook.com/
Below are the other service opportunities we have coming up this month:
- We are still packing meals this Thursday and every Thursday through the end of May.
- Rotary Chefs – Friday, May 15, 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, RCHS
On May 15, we have a spring football game for our middle school at 5:30 and a varsity game at 7:30 against White County. Join other Rotary chefs in cooking burgers and dogs in support of the Rabun County Football Boosters. Join our master chefs Jim Antosiak and Alton Story. It should be fun!
Contact: Dave Farrington — (404) 713-6160
- Food Distribution – Saturday, May 16, 6:45 AM to 9:00 AM, Rabun Gap Presbyterian Church
Join us as we distribute 40,000 pounds of food to our neighbors in need. The Rotary Club of Clayton is paying for this food distribution. We are doing this as part of Rotary’s Epic Day of Service!! - Stekoa Creek Cleanup – Saturday, May 16, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Stekoa Creek Park
The Epic Day of Service continues with the Stekoa Creek Cleanup. Help the Headwaters Master Gardeners Club and the Chattooga Conservancy with this monthly opportunity to help restore this important waterway in our community. Marcie Moore (Master Gardeners) and Buzz Williams (Chattooga Conservancy) will guide everyone on where to work. Bring clippers – wear gloves – long sleeves and long pants suggested! - Free Paper Shredding Event – Saturday, May 29, 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, Civic Center Parking Lot
Bring your old bills and records, and we will shred them for you. This is free to the community, but donations are appreciated to help us cover the cost. - SOUND THE ALARM! Smoke Detector Distribution
Thursday, May 28, 2:00 PM training and Saturday, May 30 distribution.We will be joining with the American Red Cross to install smoke detectors for our neighbors who can’t afford them. Training will take place on Thursday, May 28, at the Food Bank at 2:00 PM. The distribution will take place Saturday, May 30. We will meet at the Clayton Church of God, 255 Stekoa Falls Rd., on Saturday at 8:00 AM. We need about 20 volunteers.We are in special need of folks who speak Spanish.
Sign up by clicking this link: https://forms.gle/
9VfyytvJKQnJwCwx5 Contact Elizabeth Gill for details: (404) 358-4089
- RYLA Conference – Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31
If you are interested in volunteering, you can see what it’s about at www.RYLA6910.com or contact RYLA6910@gmail.com. - RYLA Dinner – Friday, May 29
Contact Dave Farrington for details: (404) 713-6160 - Camp Tanglewood/Augusta – June 4–6
There are moments when service stops being an idea and becomes something you can see, touch, and build with your own hands. This spring, Rotary District 6910’s Disaster Relief Committee is offering an opportunity to do exactly that, and we invite you to be a part of this.This opportunity takes place June 4–6 at Girl Scout Camp Tanglewood near Augusta, Georgia. We will begin on June 4 with a $50,000 check presentation supporting hurricane recovery efforts, followed by hands-on service work. Volunteers will assist with carpentry, planting, debris removal, and preparing new cabins. No experience is required — just a willingness to serve.This will be a collaborative effort with volunteers from District 6900 and District 6920. Housing is available for Rotarians who would like to be matched with a host family in Augusta during the project.Sign up for our Augusta project here:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/RotaryDistrict6910/ DisasterReliefGirlScoutCampSig nUpMay2026 This project represents Rotary at its best — showing up, stepping in, and making a lasting impact in communities that need us.
Please mark your calendar, consider joining us for this project, and invite others from your club to participate.
With appreciation,
The District Disaster Relief Committee
End of Year Celebration!
We are going to have our End of Year Celebration at the newly renovated Dillard House on Thursday evening, June 25, from 5:30 to 8:00. We will be installing our new officers and celebrating all that we have done this year while enjoying a great meal. We will also get a look ahead at what we have in store for the new year starting July 1.
If you would like to help us plan this fun event, please contact Susie Howard at (404) 310-0469.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Thursday, June 25, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
The Dillard House
Important Dates
(Please note that I corrected the date for the Paper Shredding to May 29.)
- May 15 — Rotary Chefs, RCHS, 5:30 – 9:00 PM
- May 16 — Epic Day of Service | Food Distribution 6:45 AM and Stekoa Creek Cleanup 10:00 AM
- May 16 — Club Leaders Learning Seminar, Lanier Tech, Gainesville
- May 28–31 — RYLA
- May 28 — SOUND THE ALARM! Smoke Detector Distribution Training, 2:00 PM
- May 29 — Paper Shredding, 9:30 AM
- May 30 — SOUND THE ALARM! Smoke Detector Distribution, 8:00 AM
- June 25 — End-of-Year Celebration
Club Leaders Learning Seminar
Saturday, May 16 ⋅ 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Lanier Technical College
2535 Lanier Tech Dr, Gainesville, GA 30507, USA
This is our biggest learning opportunity of the year! Club leaders, committee chairs, and officers should register for Club Leadership Learning Seminar (formerly called District Assembly), which will be held on Saturday, May 16, at Lanier Tech in Gainesville.
This one-day event, which includes lunch, has something for everyone across four different breakout sessions with over eight topics in each session to choose from.
Whether you are interested in Rotary’s peace-building initiatives, how to measure the impact of your service projects, how AI can be used to facilitate Rotary activities, getting certified to apply for district grants, learning more about membership, Rotary Foundation, public image, service, Youth Exchange, fundraisers, leadership opportunities beyond the club level, how to use Ignite and DACdb, or many more topics, you won’t want to miss this District event!
The registration fee of $55 per person will be reimbursed by the club. There is an overview attached to help you find the sessions that best fit your interests.
The registration link is below:
https://www.dacdb.com/
Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA)
May 28–31
Tallulah Falls School
Volunteers Needed:
- Counselors
- Activity Helpers
RYLA6910@gmail.com
www.ryla6910.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
