Although it was a scorcher outside, the air conditioning was working well inside Brimstone for our July 8th meeting. Stacey Nyman led us with Happy Dollars and a few things of note were that Carolynn DeSandre shared she has a new granddaughter (Greer) born on _________; Doug Higgins completed his 26th Peachtree Road Race on July 4th and Lou Weiland expressed his gratitude for the support the club members have shown him during the cardiac issues he has faced over the last year. We are all happy to see Lou feeling better!
Former member Kristi Crockett, who served two consecutive terms as President of our club, was recognized as a major donor to the Rotary Foundation. (A major donor is someone who gives $10,000 to the Rotary Foundation.) Foundation Chair Doug Higgins and District Foundation Global Grants Chair Mike Mudd reflected back on Kristi's time with the club and Kristi shared the most impactful time for her in the club was traveling to eSwatini to visit Heart for Africa's Project Canaan. She also mentioned the mentoring support she provided to a single mother living at The Drake House, helping her learn how to budget and save money for a new living environment. (That single mother is now a doctor!)
Immediate Past President Rick Clark had a few more awards to for members. Regina Orlick and Jeff Esterkes were presented with the Service Above Self award for attending every service project since joining the club. It's hard to imagine our club without them! Mike Mudd was honored with the Kathy Meyers Foundation Award for sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of the Foundation with our club members. Lisa Gelber was presented with a Distinguished Leadership Award for supporting Rick behind the scenes.
Our guest speaker today was our very own Carolynn DeSandre, who officially joined our club in March 2025. Although she has lived in Alpharetta for 37 years, Carolynn was born in NY and attended Catholic boarding school until she was 12. When her family moved to GA, she attended public school for the first time and was finally able to convince her father to let her wear jeans! Carolynn's first degree was in Journalism, but she pivoted to nursing, specializing in women's health and midwifery. Fun fact - Carolynn has delivered over 5,000 Georgians! Eighteen years ago, she made the switch to education and today, she is the Dean for all Health Sciences programs at University of North Georgia, which includes oversight for over 100 faculty/staff and more than 1000 students across 5 campuses. Carolynn shares her time and talent with the medically underserved, both here locally and internationally, when she travels with nursing students to help those in other countries. She has raised three children in Alpharetta and now has three grandchildren, all in the local area.