Newsletter

Thursday, Jan. 23
Meeting Cancelled

As of 11 a.m., Wednesday, a citywide curfew has been extended until Thursday at noon. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, the Rotary Club of Thomasville has cancelled the meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Vashti Center.

The safety of our members and community is our top priority. Please avoid driving due to snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, and dress warmly if you must go outside.

Saturday, Feb. 1
Rotary Leadership Institute

Rotary Leadership Institute is designed to assist in improving the Rotary knowledge and leadership skills of the future leaders of our Rotary clubs and is offered at three levels over one-day workshops.

Parts 1, 2, and 3 are being offered with host Tracy van Norman on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Southern Regional Technical College in Thomasville from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. if enough club members sign up for each session.

 The club will cover the $100 cost of the program for all participants who sign up and attend training. No shows will be charged for their registration. Angela Williamson has emailed all Rotarians with their specific class information.

To sign up, contact either Angela Williamson or Nate Tyler.

Postponed
Thomas County's Homeless Population

The meeting topic for Thursday, Jan. 23 will be presented at another time, since Thursday's meeting has been cancelled out of an abundance of caution because of cold, snow and ice.

President-elect Nate Tyler and special guests will give us an update on the homeless population in Thomas County and the organizations that work together to support that population.

• Thomas County CARES (Community Awareness Reaching & Equipping the Streets) helps the homeless and less fortunate in Thomas County obtain a better quality of life to become productive members of society. In 2024, Thomas County CARES provided more than 11,000 manna bags, blessing boxes and Street Feed plates to the hungry and food insecure and nearly 100 tents and sleeping bags to the unsheltered.
• Fountain of Life Rescue Shelter operates as an emergency shelter and saw a 62% increase in beds filled in 2024 over 2023. In addition to its regular schedule, Fountain of Life opens every night that the temperature falls below freezing. 

Learn more about both of these organizations and how you can support their missions to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate in our community. They are busier than normal during these unusually cold (and snowy/icy!) days.

Upcoming Events
Mark Your Calendar

As you plan your calendar for the next several weeks, keep these additional upcoming Rotary activities in mind.

• Thursday, Jan. 30: Thomas County's new sheriff, Tim Watkins, will be introduced to the club at this meeting. Make sure you attend to welcome Thomas County's first new sheriff in nearly 50 years.
• Thursday, Feb. 6: Blood Drive. If you typically give blood at Rotary, please contact OneBlood as you usually do to schedule your appointment. The blood mobile will be at Vashti.
• Wednesday, Feb. 19: Coffee Chat. No agenda, no timeline. Grab coffee to go or sit and chat with fellow Rotarians at Grassroots Coffee anytime between 7:30 and 8:15. 

Find the Rotary calendar anytime. You can:

• Add any individual calendar item from the Rotary calendar to your personal calendar.
• Subscribe to the Rotary calendar for automatic updates to your calendar.