Over the past six months, My Rotary, My Way has truly come to life. Meeting three times a month, our club has leaned into flexibility, purpose, and fun, and the results speak for themselves.

1. Service Above Self: Volunteer Impact

Service continues to be the heartbeat of our club. Our members showed up in meaningful ways through hands-on volunteer opportunities that fit different schedules and passions.

· LifeLine Animal Project: Dog for a Day, adoption event, collaboration with Open Hand meal delivery, and shelter activities. Thank you, Kari Kirkley, for your passion! Over 4 months of pet food delivery, we had more than 125 volunteer hours by Buckhead Rotarians and their guests for a total of 184 LifeLine orders and 64 Open Hand meal orders!

· Shepherd Center movie night and Christmas Eve Elf plushie delivery to patients

· Ansley School we delivered Elf plushies to bring joy to the 95 students during the holidays.

· Holiday Ham Haul, a Christmas Eve Buckhead Rotary tradition with 56 meals delivered by 43 Rotarians with 150 service hours, across 4 Rotary clubs.

Thank you to all the elves, especially Miriam Falaki and Denise Starling. Every hour volunteered reinforced how Buckhead Rotary is making an impact in the community.

2. Building Fellowship

Our Thirsty Thirdsdays have become a signature gathering at member’s homes strengthening friendships, welcoming guests, and reinforcing the importance of building fellowship in Buckhead Rotary. And of course the Bark-a-cue and holiday party with the incredible bacon. Thank you Cathy LaMon and the incredible social committee.

3. Speakers That Inspire

This half year brought an incredible lineup of speakers representing leadership, creativity, and impact. Thank you to the team headed up by Miriam Falaki with Jeff Nicholson and Reeves Smith. CEOs of Porsche, the Peach Bowl, Lumistella and Rowen along with the one and only CEO of the North Pole, Santa Claus (Jim Coleman). We had an award-winning Chef, a serenade by Drew Amerson who was accompanied by Ty Tippet along with leaders from the Atlanta Federal Reserve, Atlanta Public Schools, and the General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We took time to honor our veterans and raised awareness for Polio. These programs informed, inspired, and reminded us that Rotary connects us to the very best of our community.

4. Growth, Momentum & Leadership

While many clubs are declining, we are growing and thriving. Thank you Allie Geisler with help and support from Jay Shirley and the rest of the membership committee.

· Record meeting attendance (thank you, Michael Stimpert, for tracking!)

· 11 new members joined our Rotary family

· Sustained upward membership growth for over three years

· A solid succession plan ensuring continued strength and leadership

This momentum is the result of building an intentional culture and our members welcoming energy.

5. Stronger Communication & Connection

We’ve also made big strides in how we stay connected:

· A newsletter that keeps members informed and engaged. Emily Carter, you rock!

· An easy-to-navigate website with vibrant photos (thanks, Alec Smythe!)

· Growing social media presence, expanding our reach and visibility, helping us stay visible and spreading the word of all the good we do (thank you Mark Meltzer and the social media committee).

Most importantly, thank you to every one of you, our members. Whether you volunteered, invited a guest, led a project, showed up to a meeting, or just brought great energy, this momentum happens because of you!

And the best part? We’re only halfway through the year. There’s more service to do, more speakers to wow us, more friendships to build, and probably a few more calendar activities that you will wait to the last minute to sign up for.