Our former president, Susan Kleine, introduced Tracy Dolan on Wednesday morning.  Tracy spent much of her working life in international development work and saw first-hand the plight of many girls in the world.  Together with her sister Polly, Tracy founded Nurturing Minds in 2008; it is a US based non-profit organization that provides financial and technical support to SEGA school in Tanzania.  Tracy told us that we would have a closer idea of what the school was like if we understood that it is not unlike the Bethesda Academy in our locality.  The SEGA school is a residential school of 210 girls aged 12-15 years. In order to understand the mission and some of the problems of the school it is necessary to know a little about Tanzania.

On Wednesday morning we heard a presentation concerning the One Hundred Miles, the extent of Georgia's unique coast.  Megan Desrosiers is the Executive Director of One Hundred Miles, a non-profit coastal advocacy organization with the mission of preserving, protecting, and enhancing this precious salt marsh.  Even though the coast of Georgia is only 100 miles long, it comprises 30% of the remaining salt marsh coastline in the US.  Megan showed us, and told us, of the efforts that are on-going to look after it.

A map of this coastline showed us the areas which are now legally protected.  These include most of the barrier islands (islands which front on to the sea,) land along the Altamaha and Satilla rivers,and other stretches of coastline from South Carolina to Florida. So why are we anxious about our coast?  Many Georgians, especially those living inland, are unaware of the coastline and its issues.  The marshlands provide home for varied wildlife, for people to hike and boat and look at, for barriers to storms and tidal surge; to appreciate them fully, it is necessary to get out there and experience them. Megan showed us maps of the population changes over a period of twenty-seven years from 1974-1991, and projections for 2050.  We are growing, and worse yet, spreading out, and this spread is consuming land.  As we seek places to live, the views and beauty of the coast attracts would-be residents (and therefore builders) who are putting pressure on the marshland and efforts to protect it.  The six coastal counties are key; they are, from north to south, Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden.

It is with the deepest regret that we report that Nancy Neumann, wife of our member Bob Neumann, has passed away.  There will be a service in St. Peter's Church on Saturday December 13th at 10am.

At our breakfast meeting on Wednesday we welcomed Dr. Jay Howington, who told us everything we needed to know about strokes, who is most vulnerable, and what to do if we suffer the symptoms. The latter is key; don't delay, call 911. The prompt call may save your life.

Our Wednesday speaker, Cindy Murphy Kelley, is the Executive Director, since January of this year, of the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH), whose mission is to "lead the effort to build and sustain community practices to eliminate homelessness."  There are 4193 homeless people in Savannah, she told us, and the number has not changed in the past 20 years. This number does not include 142 families who are living in hotels.  Since the population of the city of Savannah has not changed much in that time (newcomers come to places outside the city), we must face the fact that we have an intractable problem which 20 years' efforts have failed to address with any success.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors of The Village Fall Festival. The support of Publix Super Market was key to the success of the food concessions fund raiser for the Rotary Club. Providing refrigerated/frozen storage for beverages, burgers and brats came in the form of a brand new, 50 foot, Publix refrigerated trailer. Coke donated all the refreshments and the roadside banner. Local sponsors included all five of the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management teams, Four Seasons Travel and Southern Motors Honda. Contributions funded "The Rogues" band, activities for kids and a raffle prize for the Coastal Corvette Club. The South State Bank provided volunteers as concessions cashiers.

And a special thanks to all the Rotary Club volunteers and, especially, Bill Jahn for arranging to have the Shelter Box display.

Member Kathie Anderson introduced David Pratt to us on Wednesday morning. David is the Executive Director of the Philharmonic Association, the umbrella group that manages the music matters of the Savannah Philharmonic.  David is a fellow Rotarian, was born and raised in Australia, has spent much of his career in the US where he lived for some time on the west coast; now he is a resident of Savannah.  David used a video presentation to show us the highlights of the Philharmonic's activities, starting out with some history.

We welcomed Ozge Kantas from Turkey to our breakfast meeting on Wednesday.  She is here for this academic year at Armstrong State University and is  one of some fifty students sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Georgia who will study at the various state Universities this year.  Students come from all over the world for this program, whose objective is to showcase our way of life to young men and women from other countries.  A qualified student must have fluent English, be academically suited, and be able to afford the airfare to and from the US.  The Rotary clubs pay their academic fees and dorm expenses.  In vacation times, host families accommodate them and show them around. Most see many different parts of our country before they return home.

Come one, come all! Rotarians join with The Village Library and The Landings Art Association to bring you the Annual Fall Festival at The Village on Skidaway Island on Saturday, October 25, 10:30 AM - 3 PM.

Special events during the festival include a Corvette Car show hosted by the Costal Corvette Association. This will be in the square across from the Village Library. The Library will host a books sale and face painting for children.

The Landings Art Association will be hosting a large Art Show along the length of Skidaway Village Walk.

We are privileged to have welcomed Ron May to our meeting on Wednesday.  Ron has been the Chairman of District 6920 Rotary Foundation for the past three years and has been a Rotarian for 30 years. He is a native of Sandersville, GA., a graduate of Georgia Tech., and has spent his professional career in the building industry, in Savings & Loan work, and in the banking business.

On Wednesday morning we welcomed the Dwaine Stevens, Publix Jacksonville Division Media & Community Relations Manager, Jay Wilcox, Publix District Manager for our store, and Wistar Lewis, Skidaway Island Village's "landlord," to our breakfast meeting. Between the Publix managers, they gave us a brief history and background of the Publix group of grocery stores. The Publix stores grew from Piggly Wiggly origins and have become a part of many neighborhoods in the Southeastern part of the US. The message is one of neighborhood engagement and of interaction with local concerns and efforts; they told us they will continue, for example, to support our village festivals and fund raisers with the involvement and help from our new store.  After this introduction to Publix our two speakers turned the meeting over to questions from the floor, and there were many.

I am happy to announce that we successfully met our fundraising goal for Rotary Year 2013-14. While it is important to celebrate our success, we recognize that we still need to raise funds and awareness for polio eradication. 

At the end of each Rotary year we take time to reflect on the good we do in service to our Club, the Community and Internationally. President Doug treated us to a year in review and highlighted the extraordinary contributions of many of our members.

Jon Peterson introduced Jack Dibrell to members on Wednesday morning.  Jack, who has had a distinguished military career, is currently the civilian airport manager of Hunter AAF in Savannah and the regional airport at Fort Stewart.  Jack is a graduate of the University of Alabama, served 30 years in world wide military service, retired as an Army Colonel with assignments in the Aviation, Special Operations and the Diplomatic communities.  Late in his military career he led the US mission to account for POW/MIAs lost in Vietnam and Laos and served as the Defense Attache in Rangoon, Burma.  Prior to moving back to Savannah and civilian life, he led the initial response to the tsunami that struck Thailand (and many other places around the world) in December 2004; he was based in Phukhet, Thailand.

 Jack's presentation was a grim one; it showed battle scenes, casualties, dreadful terrain, men in desperate situations, prisoners, torture, escape attempts (often unsuccessful) and death.  Jack told us that the movie "Rescue Dawn" shows it all, and he showed us a short clip from the film.  Jack's presentation showed "anecdotal vignettes and photos" (his description) to illustrate the efforts made to search for, and if possible identify, the remains of POW/MIAs known or believed to have been lost somewhere in Laos or Vietnam. President Reagan promised the American people a full accounting of the fate of men lost in operations in that most inhospitable part of the world, and Jack showed us how that promise was implemented.  For every man located, the objective was to reclaim the remains or to obtain an acceptable reason why that was not possible.  Jack said that some 1500 persons were missing at the end of the Vietnam war, of whom about 600 are now accounted for.  A map of the area with red dots showing locations of missing men indicated that these locations were to be seen along the full length of Vietnam and Laos.

 As a part of his story Jack showed maps of the countries involved, Vietnam and Laos (the latter, he said, was neutral in name only.)  The Ho Chi Minh Trail runs from the North country of Vietnam to the South down through the center of the country, and, no, it's not a road in our sense, it's bare dirt and, when the rains come, a sea of mud. So the main means of transport in those places is the aircraft, and more importantly, the helicopter.  In order to start investigations, ads would be placed in the local newspapers for information, and when there was a response, members of the US team would talk to witnesses, many of whom had been very young at the time - or were very young now, but had information to offer.  Many of the people interviewed had never seen a Westerner before.  When exploration or excavation was needed the US army unit would take care of the workers it hired to do the work.

Jack told us that all remains located were repatriated to the US via Hawaii.  "No other nation," Jack told us, "Is as determined as we are to account for our missing servicemen."

Robert H. (Bob) Murphy was inducted into the club on April 3rd. Sponsored by Tom Macek, Bob hods the classification of Software Consultant.

Our member George Sedberry introduced Michael Jordan, the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, on Wednesday morning.  Michael is also a veteran broadcaster, filmmaker, and historian who has traveled around the world with local troops to gather material for his work on military history.  Most of Michael’s award winning videos focus on local history, including Savannah’s role in the Civil War.  This was his subject today, and his videos accompanied his presentation.

The Rotary Club of Skidaway Island

Sea or City

TRAVEL RAFFLE

($ 10 each/3 for $ 25)

WIN A TRIP FOR TWO*- The winner’s choice of a trip for two* to the city or the sea. You can immerse yourself in the southern charm of our nearby neighbor, Charleston, and relish all this vibrant city has to offer, with three nights at the Orient Express Charleston Place or you can enjoy the powdery white sand and azure seas of one of the South’s loveliest beaches when you spend three nights at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island. (*Restrictions and blackout dates apply *Double Occupancy) 

Dave Legasse, a former president of the Rotary West club, spoke about the Play It Forward Rotary Fund Raiser on Wednesday morning.  Dave is a marketing man and knows the value of awareness for our upcoming evening of music and dancing.  Come off the island, he said, and you will be assured of a good time.

The Savannah Classical Academy: Roger Moss

The Skidaway Island Rotary Club welcomed Roger Moss, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Savannah Classical Academy, at its breakfast meeting this week.  .

Bill West tells us that there will be a vote for the slate of officers of our club for the Rotary year 2013-2014 at our next meeting on November 28th.  The slate is given below.

The following are the Annual elections, each serving a one year term:

      1.  President --Jon Peterson
      2.  President Elect --Dave Sweeterman
      3.  New -- Vice President --Darrel Snuggerud
      4.  Sect. --Phil Turek
      5.  Treasurer -- Jim Eleczko
      6.  Sargeant-at-Arms -- Lee Weiner
      7.  Past President -- Doug Powelson

Directors:

      8.  New -- Eddie Ambrose -- 3 year term
      9.  New -- Allison Parsons -- 3 year term
      10. Larry White -- 2 years remaining on term
      11. Chuck Koepke -- 1 year remaining on term
      12. Andy Starr -- 1 year remaining on term

Jon Peterson told members that the recent Career Day was outstanding.  He said that the State of Georgia has the most dismal record for graduation of the southeastern states; only 60% of high school students graduate.  The best state is Tennessee, with 80% graduating.  He told us that it was emphasized to students that they must stay in school, must graduate, then they must go on.  The more education they get, the better their paycheck will be, a novel idea, seemingly, to most of them.

Tom Macek reminded us that the drawing for the Visit to Kiawah Island is next Wednesday, December 5th, at our meeting.  He asks members to get ticket receipts and stubs to him ASAP, he will pick up if necessary.

We were blessed by having Hurricane Sandy taking a track that kept her off our coast. No rain, moderate winds and the fun began at 8:30 AM.

Great success! Many thanks to Hank and Suzanne Croci for hosting the event. Hank, Andy Starr and Bill West were superb cooks! And .. the most important recognition and thanks goes to our social chair, Bob Neumann who planned/purchased food/drink/supplies and setup the event. I also want to thank those who stayed to the end to help clean-up.

On Friday afternoon, Oct 12, 55 GRSP students, from all over the state, met at the Marriott Riverfront hotel to begin a Conclave in Savannah. Our club hosted 10 of the students for overnight accommodations. Starting with a "Ghost Tour", the students went on to experience Savannah, including a visit to the Mighty Eighth Air Force museum and activities on Tybee Island.

Wonderful News:  We won the golf tournament played against the Kiwanis, so we will keep the trophy this year!  It will be inscribed and Kiwani members will join us for breakfast one of these Wednesdays to congratulate us.  Thanks to all our terrific players; we won 24:20.

Bob Neumann announces a "mini-octoberfest" on Tuesday October 23rd to be held at Hank Croci's house from 5.00pm, featuring brats, burgers, beer, and wine.  Potential Rotary members and guests are free, current members, $10.  Hank's house is 11 Windwalk Lane, off Brandenberry/Morning Marsh.

Laura Robinson is looking for three METS volunteers, - the bank is sponsoring a METS session on October 6th.  Available, please call her.

At the TGIF party at Lloyd Wood's house on September 14th, guests (non-Rotarians) are free.......it's membership month and we are looking for interested people.  Hors d'oeuvres needed too.

Our golf tournament v the Kiwanis is on October 2nd, Palmetto, 1.30pm, shotgun, players still needed, men and women welcome.

President Doug will be out of town for the next two week. President-Elect Jon Peterson will take the gavel. The Board of Directors meeting is being postponed until Monday, Sept 17th.

We are asked for our attention to two upcoming events that need our support.  

President Doug Powelson showed pictures of the arrival of our new GRSP student, Clare McDevitt, at Savannah Airport last week and the party on Saturday to celebrate her arrival, see article and pictures in this newsletter. 

On Wednesday morning five students who had recently participated in the RYLA course, shared our breakfast and their thoughts about the classes they took.  The course took place at the South Georgia College in Douglas, Georgia, for a weekend, 9.15am - 4.15pm each day, with evening social get-togethers.  These five students came from local (Savannah) schools; in all,some 65 students from all over Georgia took the classes.

President Doug Powelson had a few items for us this week:

-  Our GRSP student, Clare McDevitt, arrives Thursday August 2nd, and there is a party to celebrate her arrival on Saturday at the home of the host family in Richmond Hill.  For information, call our member Eddie Ambrose; Eddie and Caroline Ambrose will serve as the host family for our club this year.  All are welcome at Saturday's party.
-  Lee Weiner tells us that the date has changed for us to defend our golf trophy in a game against the Kiwanis; the new date is Tuesday, October 2nd.
-  Our Fall Festival will be on Saturday, October 27th.

President Doug reminded us of:
-  GRSP student Clare McDevitt will arrive August 2nd, party August 4th.
-   Board of Directors retreat August 11th
-   District Foundation meeting, August 18th, Dublin, Ga., carpool available.
-   September 25th, we defend our golf trophy against the Kiwanis
-   Laura Robinson advised the next (earliest)  METS sorting Day will be in December. Hank Croci will coordinate the volunteers needed when he returns in October.

Some of our meetings in August will require us to enter the Plantation club for breakfast through the main entrance; even if we are sleepy, we should be able to locate that food and coffee.

We welcomed Barbara Fertig back to our meeting on Wednesday.

President Doug Powelson announces that there will be a Board of Directors retreat on August 11th at which some major issues of importance to the club will be discussed.  Outcomes will be presented to members at a breakfast meeting during the Club Assembly on August 22nd.

This Wednesday morning witnessed the 'Changing of the Guard'.  Tom McGoldrick, president of our club for the past year, passed the gavel to Doug Powelson, who will be our president for 2012-2013.  The ceremony involved recognition and awards to members who had offered their time and effort to further the aims of Rotary and of our club, comments by Tom as he leaves the presidency, and expressions of hope for the future by Doug.  Full details of the meeting appear in the article below.

Please note that the party planned for July 1st has been cancelled.  Due to illness in the family, outgoing President Tom and Molly McGoldrick could not attend.

Paul Meyer tells us that we have a new District Governor, Bob Griggers, who spoke at the District Meeting recently.  Gordon Matthews, our outgoing Governor, will remain very active in Rotary affairs.  Bob Griggers is scheduled to visit our club on August 29th; we are asked to be sure to attend to welcome him.

Paul also told us of the various Rotary clubs the he is "responsible" for as Assistant District Governor; these clubs do want to help with some of the programs we support.  Play It Forward has helped to bring them closer to us, and RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership) is an effort in which they have expressed interest.

Members please note there will be no meeting on July 4th.

At our next meeting on June 27th we will witness the passing of the gavel from our present President, Tom McGoldrick, to our President elect, Doug Powelson. Doug will be our sixteenth president and will serve until this time next year. Be on hand to participate in the annual awards presentations.

To celebrate Tom McGoldrick's year of service, and to introduce everyone to Doug, our new President, a "Change of Command - Pinning Ceremony", party will be held on Sunday July 1st at 5.30pm at Lloyd Woods' house.  All are welcome, present members, spouses, friends, and prospective members, etc.  Charge is $5 per person.

John Sobke reminds us of the Savannah Winds Annual Patriotic Concert earlier in the day... 3 PM July 1 at the AASU Fine Arts Auditorium.

The first Board of Directors meeting for RY 2012-2013 will be on July 9th at the Lakeside Center.

Teddy Adams, Jane Ogle and Ben Tucker, renowned Jazz musician an member of the Downtown Rotary club, made a visit to the meeting. We are invited to support the Coastal Jazz Association events. There is a concert at The Weston Hotel on Father's Day at 6 PM, A free Jazz Festival on September 24th in Forsyth Park and a golf tournament at the Savannah Harbor golf course. It's an old tradition in Savannah, and many famous names in Jazz have participated.....look in the newspaper and online for details.

We will meet to honor the Changing of the Guard at Lloyd Wood's house on Sunday July 1st at 5.30pm, all are welcome with friends and spouses.  Tom McGoldrick will pass the baton to our incoming president, Doug Powelson. Volunteers to make hors d'oeuvres wanted. If you are planning to attend the patriotic concert by the Savannah Winds that same Sunday afternoon, July 1st, please just come to Lloyd Wood's as soon as you can make it.

There will be no meeting on Wednesday morning July 4th.......happy fireworks!!

Doug reminds us there is a District Assembly Meeting in Douglas Ga., on June 23rd, carpool available, call Doug.

There will be a visitors days for Horizons Savannah. Come and see what the enrichment program is all about and visit both campuses. Details are listed in the Events section..

Our GRSP student for next year, Clare McDevitt, will arrive on August 2. Her hometown is Edinburgh Scotland. Anne Dauray is heading to Scotland to sing in a choral group and will arrange to meet Clare. Eddie and Caroline Ambrose will be the host family this year.

Last but not least, Lee Weiner reminds us of the golf tournament versus the Kiwanis, we are defending the trophy, September 25th.

Doug Powelson told us that the Spring Fling can be considered a substantial success, bringing in a goodly net sum (see pictures on our website.)  Our member Mick Jenny won the top prize, an iPad (third generation.)

Tom Oxnard announces that Horizons Savannah will have its tenth summer celebration on the campus of the Bethesda Academy on June 18th.  Next year it is hoped to involve both Bethesda and Country Day, and after that, maybe St. Andrews and Savannah Christian.  Tom thanks all those who contributed to this work to serve underprivileged children.

On September 25th we defend our golf trophy, won last year from the Kiwanis.  Lee Weiner asks that we mark our calendars as players or supporters.

Dave Sweeterman tells us that a matching grant has been awarded to help a project in Mattenwa. Applied for some months ago by the San Juan Club, the Port au Prince club, and ourselves, it will enable the establishment of a publishing center on the island to produce books at very low cost for distribution in Mattenwa and elsewhere. (See article below.)

Tom McGoldrick thanked Tom Schendorf for the Polio Plus presentation at the District Meeting; it was very moving.  Tom Schendorf will keep us up to date on the efforts planned by the group to help people who have been disabled by the disease to modify their homes to accommodate their needs for access and mobility.

Doug Powelson tells us there is a District Assembly meeting in Douglas Georgia on June 23rd, carpool will be available.

Turning our attention to club matters after a period of social and Rotary business, we have several items for our attention:

	President Tom had many thanks to: The registration committee for its help for the District Conference; John Sobke for presiding over last week's gala breakfast and welcome to Maj. Gen Abrams; Tom Schendorf for the polio and the GSE articles from the District Conference publication; and all who made the winning of the Gold award possible this year.
	There will be a "TGIS" (Thank God it's Sunday) party at Lloyd Wood's house on Sunday afternoon July 1st, 5.30 - 7.30 pm, courtesy $5 per person.  This party will celebrate the changing of the guard as the Rotary presidency passes to Doug Powelson from Tom McGoldrick. Larry White tells us that Doug will be the 16th president of our club.
	Andrea Dove from Bethesda Academy reminded us of the Georgia State Tax Law that allows us to allocate a portion of our state taxes each year to a public or private school of our choice. We are asked to plan our tax returns so that this allowable portion can be directed to Bethesda Academy. The state program provides children throughout the Peach State with Greater Opportunities for Access to Learning - "GOAL". Click the link to learn more or to access forms.

Our upcoming events are listed on our home page.  They include, Play It Forward, this Saturday, for which Phil Turek still has tickets; the Spring Fling, Saturday, May 12th; and a visit to the Pin Point Museum.

There are several affairs we should have on our calendars:

-  Spring Fling, Saturday May 12th, Village
-  Barbara Fertig announces a visit to the Pin Point Museum, May 25th.
-  The Kiwanis ask our support for the Concert on the Green, on May 5th

Our ebulletin gave the wrong date for the Spring Fling last week; please mark your calendars for Saturday May 12th. Volunteers are sought for the various tasks for this event in the Village. The first prize in the raffle is the new iPad3. 

Breakfast is at DeRenne Middle School next week.  Carpool from Methodist Church at 6.50am (!) please notify Doug if interested, for a head count.

Tom Oxnard reports that the recent banquet for Horizons was very successful, attended by some 250 people.  Horizons Savannah, chaired by Tom, is in partnership with Bethesda Academy this year and its activities will be conducted partially on the Bethesda campus. Previously its classes and other features were all to be seen on the Savannah Country Day campus, for which accommodations and help Tom extended thanks to Country Day. Tom told members that Bethesda is very enthusiastic about Horizons and its offer of summer academics, mentoring and sports for children, and there is hope that this type of work will be extended to other schools.  Tom McGoldrick added that there will be greater involvement of our club with Bethesda in time to come.

There will be a Board meeting next Monday February 13th.

John Sobke asks us to support the Savannah Winds concert at the Lucas on March 26th, benefitting the scholarship endowment of AASU.

Doug Powelson reports that ticket sales for our fundraiser are brisk; he needs an unsold ticket count for a head count for catering.

Doug Powelson reminds us to bring the stubs from ticket sales to him, or put them in his tube.

The Kiwanis breakfast is at the Presbyterian Church on Saturday February 4th, 8-11am.

The District Conference is in Savannah, May 18-20, info:  www.rotarydistrict6920.net

Various members had information and requests for us this week.

-  Tom McGoldrick asked us to take a look in our attics for items for the silent auction for our Fundraiser, The Wild, Wild West.

-  Cliff Lindholm told us that the Junior Achievement program is under way at the new Pulaski Middle School (near Hunter Army Airfield) and will start next week at DeRenne Middle School.

Several members had messages for us on Wednesday morning:

-  Toni Marwitz reports that residents are all back in the SAFE SHELTER.
-  Wendell asks us please to pay our dues, some are overdue, and bills are waiting;  details of each account are available, ask Wendell or Barbara.
-  Doug reports that ticket sales for our fundraiser are selling well, and asks each member to try to sell four tickets.  When a ticket is sold, the donor should receive a donor contribution form for tax purposes.
-  Tom Oxnard told us there is a banquet in behalf of Horizons Savannah on March 2nd, speaker will be Paula Wallach of SCAD, more details next week.
-  We are invited to the Kiwani's breakfast on Saturday February 4th at the Presbyterian Church, 7 - 10 am.

We are reminded that there is a District Meeting, to be held in Savannah, at the DeSoto Hilton, on May 18-20  this year. Our Club will be involved with registration activities.

Cliff Lindholm told members that the Junior Achievement program is about to start at Pulaski and DeRenne Middle Schools.

Fireside Chats will start again soon.

Items for our silent auction at the February fundraiser are sought.

For Club Members Only. The link below opens a site page where you can download the Member Survey that was presented by Doug Powelson at the Jan 11th Meeting. You will need to Login to view these files. If you are having trouble with your Login, please contact Doug Powelson or Bob Rosen.

2011-2012 Member Survey

This is a report on the findings from a two part survey recently conducted by President-elect Doug Powelson and reported by him to our membership on Wednesday morning.  Doug was pleased to tell us that, for the most part, members who responded to the surveys were very satisfied by the club's activities and its goals.  There are some areas, however, where work is needed, notably in membership growth/retention, communications (particularly concerning district matters) and in public relations for the club.  The full statistical results may be accessed by members from our web site, including the specific questions asked and the scales used to determine levels of interest and satisfaction.  Forty six members responded to the surveys.

Doug indicated that the results had been presented to the Board, earlier in the week, and small committee of Board members will be formed to review the data and make recommendations for actionable items.

We thank Doug and those who helped him in conducting our surveys, for his report on the findings and his recommendations derived from them.

Tom McGoldrick and Doug Powelson had various matters for our attention on Wednesday morning:

-  Flyers for our fund raiser in February (see article above) are ready for distribution into tubes; volunteers picked them up and will be out and about this weekend.
-  Tickets for this fundraiser are available.  Members are asked to sell as many as they can; envelopes of four have been given to those present on Wednesday morning.  Please sell what you can - there is no obligation to pay for those four tickets unless you sell them.  Tickets are also for sale at our breakfast meetings, brochures are available too.
-  Also for the fundraiser, members of the silent auction committee are needed.
-  Doug reminds us to respond to the second of his two member surveys.
-  There is a seven day letter out, concerning the application for membership of Barbara Fertig.
-  We are invited to the Kiwani's breakfast on Saturday February 4th; no, it's not a freebie!
-  METS needs a couple more volunteers, call Hank Croci.

-   We welcomed our District Governor, Gordon Matthews, at breakfast on Wednesday morning.
-   Tom McGoldrick reminded us that assistance is needed for our February fundraiser.
-   There will be a board meeting on Monday January 9th.
-   Accommodation is still sought for a visiting lawyer from New Zealand.
-   Doug told us there is a service program at the SAFE Shelter in January.
-   Lee Weiner wished us all a Happy New Year, and gift certificates as "Thank You's" were given to the staff who serve us breakfast every week.
-   There was an impromptu Christmas singsong of Jingle Bells and Silent Night featuring Toni Marwitz and Kathie Anderson, among others.

Toni Marwitz told us she is gratified by the community support shown for the SAFE Shelter during its recent woes (there was a severe flood.)  The Savannah Board of Realtors has adopted eighteen families.

There were a number of items for our attention this week:

-  There will be a meeting of the club next week, December 21st; there will NOT be a meeting on Wednesday December 28th.
-  A condominium on Maui is available for two weeks in May 2012, sleeps six, make a bid, call Tom McGoldrick
-  We are all very pleased to see Tom Baldacci back at our meeting; come back to us, Tom.
-  Accommodation is sought for a lawyer visiting from New Zealand; call Tom McGoldrick for details.
-  Tube stuffers are needed for announcements of our February fundraiser, "The Wild, Wild West."  Also, we are soliciting items for the silent auction.

We thank Dave Sweeterman for a very thoughtful preamble to the prayer this Wednesday morning; he paid tribute to all those lost and injured in the attack on Pearl Harbor seventy years ago today, and to all who serve or have served in the military to keep us safe and free.

Tom McGoldrick had several items for our information:
-  On behalf of Cliff Lindholm, Tom told us that the new training program at the Pulaski School will start in January.
-  There is a board meeting next week.
-  There is a new form for those who wish to propose a new member, it is now available from Laura Robinson and will soon be up on the website.
-  Our annual club survey will be available for completion by members over the next 2-3 weeks.....please complete it.
-  Tom wishes us to know that negotiations between Horizons and the Bethesda Academy are on-going.
-  There WILL be a breakfast meeting on December 21st.

Our holiday party will be on Friday December 9th, at Deer Creek at 6.30pm.  If you plan to attend and haven't told Lee Pierce, please contact him.

Anne Douray tells us she has received a long letter from our GRSP student of last year, Alida.  She is planning her wedding and wants us to know that we are welcome; before you put on your party clothes, be advised that the event is in Beirut.

Toni Marwitz has been appointed to the Board of Safe Shelter.  She tells us that her appointment coincided with a disaster at the Shelter itself, a flood - which necessitated the relocation of multiple families with children.

Wendell Kraus is even happier than he was last week - he says that our Rotary club can pay its bills.

Tom McGoldrick had some items for us:

-  Tom thanked participants in Career day yesterday at DeRenne Middle School.
-  There is no meeting next week, have a Happy Thanksgiving.
-  Alice Jean may appreciate some help from us - a card circulated - call her, visit, or ask if the business needs some resources.  She is at home.
-  Tom asks, as the year closes, that we remember that we can donate some or all of our state taxes to schools.

   This Wednesday morning we sang "God Bless America" to open our meeting, in honor of the Fourth of July celebrations this weekend.  This meeting marked the passing of the gavel, that is, the transference of the club presidency from Susan Kleine to Tom McGoldrick for the coming year.

   In a farewell speech to members and their guests, Susan thanked all those members who had rendered 'service above self' to the club and to the community during the year of her presidency.  She thanked her board members for their support and dedication to the aims of the club, and most particularly her husband John who has helped her with advice and counsel throughout the year.  She said her goals were to help the staff and students of DeRenne Middle School, to be the best GRSP host club, to have successful fund raisers, Spring Fling, Fall Festival, and the Love Boat, and from these, to allocate the funds wisely for the betterment of children's health and education.  She wanted, she said, to make our club the one that everyone wanted to join.

Susan thanked Dave Sweeterman and Bob Rosen for stepping up to join the board when other members left.  She asked all her board members to stand, and gave each a gift as a token of her gratitude for their service and help.

President Susan recited the four-way test at our Wednesday meeting, and reminded us of Tom Macek's Challenge.

Susan tells us that this is Rotary magazine month, so take a look at your copy and enjoy it.  She also reminds us of the upcoming Rotary conferences.

Tom McGoldrick told us the Spring Fling will be May 7th in the village from 11am to 2pm.  We have raffle tickets to sell, the first prize is an iPad2 with a value of $700.  There will be rides for kids....volunteers are still needed.  Grab your friends and neighbors and come to the village for a great time.

Update:

 Eddie and Caroline Ambrose have accepted the opportunity to be the GRSP host family for the 2012-2013 year.

Editor's Note:  This story was intended for last week's bulletin, but, because of a computer glitch, an abbreviated version appeared......here's our real farewell.

Alida came to us from Lebanon last August under the sponsorship of the Georgia Rotary Student Program. She flew into Savannah after a long and tedious flight from her home, and was met by Anne Dauray, Bill West, and other Rotary members from our own and other Savannah clubs. Alida told us she wondered, setting her first step on American soil, what she would find and what awaited her.