PROGRAM the normal day of July 6th will be cancelled in honor of the Fourth of July however we are all asked to attend the Sweet Land of Liberty July Fourth Parade to serve as Marshals. This will be our first year without either Annette or Jim Boyd, the founders of the parade. Those who can volunteer please let Drew Gay know at drewgay@synovus.com. The parade will again start at Sweetland Amphitheatre at Boyd Park this year and we should try to be there to check in by 9 or 9:30 at the latest. Parade starts at 10 a.m. Please wear your blue Rotary polo shirt (or at least a blue shirt); white (or khaki) shorts, skirts, or pants, and the red sash will be provided there.

PROGRAM last week, June 29, 2016 was the last of the previous Rotary Year. It was introduced by Roy Nichols and featured Gail Lee Gordon to talk about Success By Six. Gail, a Lone Oak native, is a product of Hogansville High, UGA, LC, and West Georgia University. She thanked Roy for inviting her to speak and us for the lunch and the great support Rotary of LaGrange gives to their program and others of that ilk, but especially our five year connection to Success By Six with the books and reading to pre-K children. She said the most important thing one can do when they participate in one of these programs is help "plant the seed" of the idea that these children can graduate high school, by just saying things like "when you graduate...". She told us children need mentors and the best place is, of course, the family, but so many financially challenged families do not often offer this hope much less some of the tools that help make it possible, such as reading to their children before age 5. She said the brain developed about 85% by time one is five years old and a child's intelligence as well as success rate can be made or broken in those first 5 years. Many parents need counseling as well, and not just on how to be an effective parent and nurturer but on where to get assistance when needed. It only takes 15 minutes of reading out loud to a child to make the difference. Success By Six offers programs of their own and works not just with organizations like ours but with facilities like the Maidee Smith Nursery, Teaching, Loving, Caring school, and Pride & Joy. Mentors are needed to be monthly readers. It takes one hour per month. Some of our members are already readers: Ed Biggs, Mike Angstadt, Ann Bledsoe, Debbie Jones, and Patty Youngblood as well as at least one whose name we did not catch (maybe someone could tell us and we'll mention them later) Their program, Summer Play, provides breakfast and lunch in the morning session and extended time in the afternoon one. There are other groups and programs that work towards this goal, too, such as Troup B.E.L.L. and Twin Cedars that offer home visitation, a vital part of seeing families provide the nurture and reading. She said every dollar spent on Pre K saves six dollars later in welfare, juvenile justice, prisons, or social services and even remedial education. Quality day care is part of the picture as many children spend much of their time there, so there is now a rating system to rank them. Three Stars is maximum, based on the training of the educators, technology available, curriculum, and other items like facilities (playgrounds, books), much of which, therefore, relates to how much money these places have to spend. Many of the directors of these facilities find creative ways to get what it is needed to offer the required amenities and thereby secure a acceptable ratings. The Troup County School system, as one would imagine, partner with them too. Gail's parting words were "Love Your Children ... Read To Them" and she quoted Frederick Douglas who said "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

The meeting last week opened with President George Henry presiding and ended with newly installed President Jake Jones presiding. President Jake reminded us that participating in any Success By Six program counts as a make up as it is one of our officially sponsored programs.

President George Henry expressed gratitude to his out-going board of Directors: Dan McAlexander, Renae Willis, Bill Bowling, Ann Bledsoe, Henry Jacobs, Jake Jones, David Fowler, Susan Ferguson, Barbara Henigin, Ken Miles, Regenia Andrews, and Patty Youngblood, as well as special committee chairs: Ted Beason, Cathy Smith, Bill Martin, Chunk Newman, Judy Freeman, andClark Johnson.


George then administered the Oath of Office to Julian Morris "Jake" Jones, IV. Jake then installed the incoming board: President-elect David Fowler; President Nominee Susan Ferguson; Executive Secretary Barbara Henigin; Treasurer Ken Miles; Public Relations Regenia Andrews; Rotary Foundation Patty Youngblood; Immediate Past President George Henry; Club Administration Raylene Carter; Service Projects Drew Gay; New Generations Trae Long; Sergeant-at-Arms Mike Stevenson; Membership Bill Stump, and recognized his special committee chairs: Jason Weldon, Programs; Mitch Key, Rotary Youth Challenge; Bill Martin, Rotary Club of LaGrange / Walter Y. Murphy Scholarship Fund and Rotary Club of LaGrange Foundation President; Chunk Newman, Georgia Rotary Student Program; and Clark Johnson, Bulletin.

President Jake Jones presented President George Henry with his coveted PAST President pin (Jake said he would swap pins with George right on the spot), badge, and a plaque with a gavel commemorating his year. He added that he (Jae) certainly has "big shoes to fill."

A highlight of the day was the presentation of FORTY-FOUR new Paul Harris Fellowships. President George Henry presented a special Paul Harris Fellowship to his Rotarianne (of 56 years), our out-going First Lady, the Rev. Helen Freeman Henry. Helen embodies the sterling qualities and goals of the Rotary Foundation: to tend to the fallen, educate the illiterate, nourish the hungry, minister to the weary, and spread peace and goodwill. She is perhaps the most deserving recipient of this honor ever to receive it. George also presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Will Jones, who is leaving us and LaGrange College to become President of Bethany College in Kansas. Following that, the roll call of our new Paul Harris Fellows (the highest honor that Rotary International bestows) who thus account for why our club was named a 100 percent Paul Harris Club this year. Our Patty Youngblood, who orchestrated this once in a lifetime accomplishment, helped present Fellowships to: Martha Allred; Regenia Andrews; John Asbell; Larry Brack; John Cashen; Willie Edmondson; Bob Ellis; Rachel Ennis; Charles Ferguson; Edna Foster; Dwayne Fuller; Drew Gay; Brain Germano; Kirk Hancock; John Harrell; Zsa Zsa Heard; Jeff Higgins; Dee Horton; Henry Jacobs; Debbie Jones; Rett Jones; Mitch Key; Scott Landa; Yvonne Lopez; Matt Mallory; Tom Malone; Dave Marler; Ron Martin; Ken Miles; Margaret Morton; Carl Parke; Ken Pope; Cole Pugh; Jerry Scarborough; Keith Schuermann; Jennifer Shook; Marc Shook; Cathy Smith; Amy Warren; Jason Weldon; and Jeff Wright. CONGRATULATIONS to all these worthy recipients, to our club for this goal attained, and to our Patty Youngblood, the engineer. ALSO, as part of making this dream come true for our club there were those who donated extra points from ones they had accumulated. Twenty-eight of our members so generously donated to the cause. These were: Charis Acree; Mike Angstadt; Sondra Bowie; Jenny Copeland; Kyle Crawford; Jerry Fulks; Dalton Hammock; George Henry; Fred Hoppe; Clark Johnson; Luther Jones; Fred Jones; Jim Killebrew; D Lindner; Dan McAlexander; Ray McKenzie; Fred Mills; Kaye Minchew; Chunk Newman; Roy Nichols; Randy Nix; White Perry; Shep Phillips; Sandy Simmons; Ellis Smith; Roger Stephens; Mike Stevenson; and Bill Stump. In a wonderfully generous move, our Assistant District governor, Pat Keating, also donated 1,000 points towards our achieving the One Hundred Percent status! Thanks, Pat.

Guests and Visitors last week included (with thanks to Regenia Andrews for handing us the list) Capt. Derwin and Janice Brewer, both guests of Susan Ferguson; Russ Davidson, guest of Drew Gay; Bill Hunnicutt (a former member) guest of President Jake Jones; Bruce Crawford (a former member) and First Lady Helen Henry, both club guests; and Visiting Rotarian (and former mebmer of our club) Sallie Hadden of Columbus club, guest of Drew Gay.

"All the Rotary News that Fits, We Print”


Reported by your Bulletin Editor, Clark Johnson.