The meeting was called to order by our President, Katie Dukeshire. Katie recognized our current Rotarians who are also veterans in celebration of Veteran’s Day on Wednesday 11/11. Tripp Hilliard was our only veteran in attendance. Katie reminded our club to thank a veteran tomorrow!
Tuesday was our membership drive and every member was asked to invite a guest. Thank you to Susan Watson, Debbie Porch, Tripp Hilliard and Ryan for bringing a guest.
New Members
- Mat Patell (Microtel Inn and Suites), sponsored by Randy Perkins.
- Mario Singleton (Cone Health Cancer Center) from Reidsville Rotary Club, sponsored by President Katie Dukeshire.
General Announcements
- The poinsettia order deadline is Tuesday 11/17. Delivery will be 12/1 at the Courtyard Marriott.
- The sign-up sheet for our Feed the Hunger Rotary packathon was on each table.
- We “passed the bucket” for contributions to the Current Event Challenge fundraiser sponsored by ACC. The fundraiser helps to raise funds to help offset the GED charge for ACC students.
Richard White
Richard White is an Asheville native and explained why he chose to get involved with Rotary. Rotary was a natural extension for his public service career.
Richard introduced Derrick Smith from the Salvation Army. Derrick is a native of Wilmington and is married with four children. He has been a member of Rotary since the age of 18.
Program: Derrick Smith, Salvation Army
Derrick was introduced to the Salvation Army years ago by his wife. Many do not know that the Salvation Army is actually a church first. He and his wife were members of the church and on August 5, 2012 they decided to enroll to become a Salvation Army officer. They both previously had successful jobs in the business world and were set in their ways. Derrick and his wife made a huge sacrifice and moved their family to Atlanta to begin their two year training period.
The Salvation Army Burlington chapter became their first appointment and they feel like Alamance County will be a perfect fit for their skills.
Derrick shared the many ways to get involved and serve at the Salvation Army. First, the demand for food in Alamance County is at an all time high. They are currently serving 40-50 families per month from their Food Pantry.
Second, the Burlington Salvation Army is serving 148 children daily via their Boys and Girls Club. They are at full capacity in their current facility. They are not able to take additional children into the program due to space limitations. They are planning to build a teen center in the future.
The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign helps to provide Christmas to those families that otherwise could not afford to do so. This campaign starts on November 12th. Their goal for 2015 is to raise $150,000 in hopes of providing Christmas to 600-700 families. Volunteers are still needed to help ring the bell. They will also be doing the Angel Tree project this holiday season. The tree will list specific items requested by families in need.
Lastly, the Salvation Army will be adding a second family thrift store inAlamance County. The new site will be located on S. Church Street. All the money raised from both thrift store locations goes directly back into the community.
Closing
At the conclusion of the meeting, we all stood to recite the Rotary Four Way Test, and the meeting was adjourned. Until next week…
Club Related Dates
District and Club Business
2nd Tuesday of Each Month: Board Meeting for officers and committee chairs, 11 am until Noon.
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