No Meeting Monday: Join us for Thirsty Thirdsday

Thirsty Thursday 

August 20, 2026 5:30 pm— 7:30 pm

August 24: Rotary on the Road

Rotary on the Road @ Open Hand Atlanta

This month we are trading the ballroom for a working kitchen. The Rotary Club of Buckhead is taking its Monday meeting on the road to Open Hand, where thousands of meals are cooked, packed, and delivered every day to Atlanta neighbors living with chronic illness and food insecurity.

We will hear directly from the Open Hand team, including Executive Director Matt Pieper (bio below), about how the operation runs, and members will have the chance to tour the facility and see the work up close. It is one thing to hear about service. It is another to stand in the middle of it.

Lunch is included. Space is limited, so please sign up in advance to grab your spot. Feel free to bring a guest, and it’s a perfect chance to invite someone who might be interested in joining.

The meeting will be held at:

Open Hand Atlanta
1380 West Marietta St NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

Matthew (Matt) Pieper is the Executive Director for Open Hand Atlanta, a community-driven non-profit organization that provides nutritious and medically appropriate meals, nutrition education and counseling to those challenged by chronic disease or disability. Open Hand provides services in over 40 Georgia counties. Matt serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Advisors for the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) and is the President of the Meals on Wheels Association of Georgia (MOWAG). Additionally, he is a member of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI); the Fulton County HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Policy Advisory Committee; and the Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Health Services Planning Council. In 2016 and 2017, he was listed in The Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the Top 50 Influential Nonprofit Leaders in Atlanta. Matt is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2018 and former member of the Rotary Club of Buckhead.

Breast Cancer Survivor Support

Join Buckhead Rotarian Liz Loretti, Executive Director of IRIS, in celebrating the grand opening of their new offices.

A Week That Showed What Buckhead Rotary Is Made Of

More than 30 guests joined us for an outstanding presentation from Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia — one of our strongest turnouts of the year, and proof that when Buckhead Rotary puts a program on the calendar, Atlanta shows up.

We also recognized two of the Site Directors from our signature project, Horizons Atlanta:

- Kelsey Bunker has led the Atlanta International School program supporting Garden Hills Elementary scholars since 2016.
- Latifah Williams has worked with The Galloway School program supporting Scott Elementary scholars since 2021 and took over the program in 2024.

They wrapped up their summer sessions in July and both received a some well-earned recognition and a "Thanks A Latte" gift card.  We are excited to work with these two amazing leaders in support of their program in the coming months.

Next, we're preparing to welcome Neslihan Atici, our incoming GRSP student, who arrived Wednesday from Turkey to begin her year at Oglethorpe University.

And our 75th anniversary celebration keeps building. This week we unveiled a Deep Dive podcast, alongside our growing archive of The Viewer — 75 years of club history, week by week.

Don't forget: no meeting at Maggiano's next week.  We are hosting our next Thirsty Thursday at the home of Betsy Barge. The first one set a high bar.  Bring a guest — this is the easiest, most enjoyable way to show someone what this club is really like. Please register on the club calendar so Betsy knows how many to expect.

Reporting the Good Works of Buckhead Rotary

Buckhead Rotary has been making an impact in this community since 1951 and that legacy has been communicated to our members in our weekly newsletter, known as The Buckhead Rotary Viewer, published almost every week since at least 1961.  Our former archivist, Aadu Allpere, maintained a significant collection of former newsletters, including this one from February 19, 1962:

[CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE]

75th Anniversary: 1963 College Scholarship Award Letter

As we celebrate 75 incredible years of the Rotary Club of Buckhead, we are looking back at the milestones that have defined our legacy of service. From our earliest days to our current signature projects, our commitment to supporting the community has remained as strong as ever.

As part of this journey, take a look at this College Scholarship Award Letter from 1963! It is a fantastic piece of our history and a great reminder of the long-standing impact our club has had on local students' lives and education over the decades.

Want to explore more of our history? Check out the newly released "Deep Dive" episode on the Buckhead Rotary podcast! It is a fast and engaging 30-minute run through our proudest moments, tracing the club straight through to today. It is packed with fun facts that even our longest-tenured members might not see coming.

Give the podcast a listen on your next drive or walk, and continue exploring our 75-year history week by week in our growing archive of The Viewer!