President Alex's Message
Fellow Rotarians-
As we near the Thanksgiving Holiday, I hope that we all take time to reflect on the many gifts that have been given to us. I know I have. This week has been nothing short of incredible from a Rotary standpoint. I am also reminded of one of the tenants that I was raised on and is a cornerstone of Judeo-Christian Values, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Now more than ever is a time for us to give thanks for the bounty that we have, our loved ones, and our Rotary family and strong Club. It is also the time to reflect while we have been blessed, others are facing great challenges and need our help. Now is the time and opportunity, particularly through our many Rotary initiatives, when we can do just that.
November is our Foundation Month, a time to give in order to make a lasting impact. November is also our Veterans Appreciation Month - The Club had an incredible experience this past Friday with two buses of veterans and Rotarians traveling to Ft. Moore as well as to support the 85 Army Rangers who demonstrated their skills and graduated and will now return to their active units, many of whom will deploy into harms way. Thank you to Roger Wise, Alicia Hughes, and Gene Beckham for making this trip a reality and building the foundation to grow this initiative into a permanent fixture of our Club’s core values. The month of November is the month to give thanks to those who have served, and are currently serving to protect each of us, at all costs. To that end, I encourage you to give thanks by supporting our adopt a platoon initiative as well as volunteering at our Basket Ball Tournament - the proceeds of which directly support this Club’s Rotary Initiatives.
Thanksgiving marks, what I believe, to be a Great Leap Forward in this Club’s history, as the day after Thanksgiving, November 24th, we will open the Roswell Christkindlmarket with the traditional pomp and circumstance of the tapping of the Keg (thanks to Variant/Michael Curling) and the lighting of the tree. This family-friendly and adult-friendly Market will hopefully begin a tradition not only for our Club, but also for our City, as well as for families across our region. We have initiated this second major fundraiser, hopefully one day on par with our golf tournament in raising funds, to further support our club’s initiatives as well as to cement our public-private partnership with the City of Roswell. As I presented when I took office in July, I believe that many hands make light work, that we can do good as well as have fun, and that our City and Club are unique. Through this Market, we will have an inclusive holiday experience, showcase and support one of our historic assets, and also support through teamwork, Friends of Bulloch. We will showcase a beautiful historic landmark, which to some has negative slavery-era connotations, into a new tradition that brings all people together for a time of peace, companionship, and celebration. We will have young families begin a tradition of meeting Santa, of having a beer with friends, old and new - of children in need having a sense of the holiday season of their own.
The planting of the seed of this Christmas Market will hopefully grow into a large and permanent fixture of our community, expand our Club’s financial impact, name recognition, and relationships with the many partners that we currently have, as well as make new opportunities for our future. I encourage everyone to come, tell their friends, promote the Market on social media, neighborhood list serves, and to attend in person, as well as to join your fellow Rotarians at our Christmas Party on December 8th, which also marks the first night of Hanukkah.
I am thankful to be a Roswell Rotarian and your President.
- Alex
