Micah called the meeting to order and Cliff Parker led our prayer and pledge.
Welcome Guests
- Pierre-Louis Guillot, our exchange student currently attending Williams High School.
- Kelly Carlisle introduced Herman Long from Bank of NC’s Mortgage group and Tia Coppus visiting Rotarian from the Cary Kildaire Rotary club.
Program Schedule
- November 1 – Philip Smith
- November 8 – Jeff Smythe
- November 15 – Chuck Stedman
- November 22 – Matt Patel
Club Announcements
- Save the Date! Our Rotary Blood Drive will be held on 12/29 at the Ramada Inn from 3:30-7:30.
- The Rotary Foundation Banquet will be held in Greensboro on November 17th. Our gold club goal is have 12 Rotarians/guests attend. Please let Debbie Porch or Susan Watson know if you would like to go.
- We collected $325 last week from our Pass the Bucket efforts to help Hurricane Matthew victims. If you would like to participate please give your donation to Peter or Micah today.
- Today we will Pass the Bucket to raise money for the World’s Greatest Meal to assist with Rotary’s efforts to end polio.
- New Member Orientation was held earlier today.
Happy Dollars
- Susan Watson, Women’s Resource Center Director, shared details for their upcoming Leading the Way fundraiser that will be held on November 3rd. Last year they raised $17,000. She encouraged us to buy tickets and plan to attend. They will be recognizing local community volunteers.
- Chantelle Stoughton shared she will be on a cruise ship this time next week.
- Tia Coppus had three Happy Clams: glad to see Herman in attendance, vacation next week and our club was her first club visit outside of her rotary area.
Member Spotlight – Chuck Stedman
- Chuck is a local attorney specializing in business and corporate law, estate planning and wills.
- He has recently started some intense genealogical work and his wife and daughters are also now involved. Their work led to them joining the Daughters of the American Revolution.
- If he could have dinner with someone dead or alive…his choice would be Jesus.
Member Spotlight Next Week – Cliff Parker
Mary-Margaret Harris – Academy of Finance Director, Williams High School
Stuart Sioussat joined our club in 2010 but had been a previous Rotarian from 2000-2007. He is currently a Commercial Lender with American National Bank and has served as a Commander in the Navy Reserves for the past 20 years.
Stuart has been married to his wife Betsy for 25 years and they have 3 children. Their youngest son is a 7th grader at Blessed Sacrament.
Mary-Margaret Harris has been teaching at Williams High School for the past 5 years and is currently the Director of the Academy of Finance. She was recently named Teacher of the Year at Williams. She graduated from Western Alamance High School and was the recipient of a Rotary scholarship. Mary-Margaret attended Wake Forest University and graduated with a degree in business. After college she was a branch manager for a local bank for 13 years. During her banking career, she taught financial literacy classes to recovering addicts. She discovered during this volunteer work that teaching was her passion and now calls herself a “recovering banker.”
The Academy of Finance is part of the National Academy Foundation which is based in NYC. They provide curriculum and accountability to 716 academies consisting of 89,000 students. Students enrolled in one of the academies have a 98% graduation rate and at Williams High School the graduation rate is 100%!
The Academy of Finance is a 4 year program. Interested students must complete an application which includes teacher recommendations. Once enrolled in the program, students must maintain a C average. The program helps to keep the at risk students engaged and focused. Williams currently has 150 students participating in the program.
Mary-Margaret organizes a Work Based Learning event in April of each year held at Bank of North Carolina. This event serves as the purpose for what they hope to accomplish in the academy. It’s an after hours event that involves business leaders in the community. Students have to introduce themselves to the business leaders and present their resumes.
Mary-Margaret’s students also help the community during tax season by preparing tax returns for low income families. Last year, they completed a total of 100 returns.
Students are also required to complete summer internship. The goal is for these internships to be paid. Students must complete a total of 120 hours. Please let Mary-Margaret know if you would be interested in offering an internship through the program.
The Academy of Finance is a “zero budget” organization which means they have to raise their own funds through fundraising efforts throughout the year. Their next event is the annual Turkey Trot which will be held on Thanksgiving Day. More details and registration information can be found on the following website:
www.whsaof.com/5kpay/turkeytrot
The meeting was adjourned and we all stood to recite the Rotary Four Way Test. Until next week…