President's Message
Bridging the Divide
As a global service organization with over 1.2 million members, Rotary is able to bridge many cultural divides to eradicate polio and other diseases, promote peace, education, literacy, women and children's health and so much more. While I knew that about Rotary, I truly experienced it at the Rotary International Conventions in Atlanta and Toronto. What do I mean by "experienced" it? I personally met and spoke with Rotarians from all over the world--Pakistan, Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, France, Italy, Australia and many from the U.S. While we may have spoken different languages, dressed differently and looked different, each Rotarian I met had the SAME HEART for service. Rotary bridges divides because our basis for understanding and communicating is the Four Way Test and our motto Service Above Self. Be sure to ask Bob Hagan and Gordon Owens about their experiences at the Hamburg Convention.
Many will argue (pun intended) that we live in the most divisive of times, but any reader of history will tell you that division has been a part of the human condition since the beginning of time. However, it does seem that people (including Rotarians) are unwilling to listen to others for understanding rather than to respond and even Rotarians sometimes forget to consider whether our actions and words are “Beneficial to All Concerned” before acting or speaking negatively about others (including our fellow Rotarians). Finding common ground and listening for understanding are critical to our ability to carry on the missions of Rotary, work effectively in Roswell, and build relationships with family and friends. While humans will and should continue to disagree, we can learn to do it productively. Check out this Ted Talk by Julie Dhar about How to Disagree Productively.
Or, just join us on Thursday! Judge Elizabeth Gobeil will explore the trend of divisiveness and offer practical tips on how to bridge ideological and other divides. In doing so, she will draw inspiration from history, pop culture and her personal experiences.
Let's commit to first focus on the things people do right, rather than the things they do wrong, and lift each other up so we can inspire and serve others courageously. Join us on Thursday for another great speaker!
President Becky
This Week's Speaker
Judge Elizabeth Gobeil was appointed by Governor Deal to the Court of Appeals of Georgia on June 5, 2018. Immediately prior to her appointment, Judge Gobeil served as Director and Appellate Division Judge for the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, a position she held since her original appointment by Governor Deal in November of 2012. Prior to joining the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, Judge Gobeil served as senior counsel for Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and UCB, Inc., respectively. As in house counsel, her responsibilities ranged from transactional and regulatory work to labor and employment matters. Judge Gobeil also practiced law at Thompson Hine, LLP, where she was recruited to help establish its Atlanta office and its Life Sciences practice group. Ultimately a partner, Judge Gobeil primarily counseled FDA-regulated and health care clients regarding transactions, regulations/compliance, litigation, and government investigations and enforcement matters.
Judge Gobeil also worked in Washington, DC, including as a Legislative Advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell covering health care and judiciary issues. Judge Gobeil is a long-term Board member of the Atlanta Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies and is active with the emerging Savannah Chapter. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Savannah Bar Association, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and the Statewide Opioid Taskforce headed by Attorney General Carr.
Judge Gobeil is published and has presented widely to state, national, and international audiences on topics ranging from litigation to compliance.
Judge Gobeil resides in Savannah, Georgia with her husband, Bart. They have been involved with the Ronald McDonald House Charities since 1999 and are members of the Isle of Hope Methodist Church.
JOIN US FOR THE INSTALLATION PARTY
Beer, BBQ & Classic Rock
Thursday, June 27, 2019
6PM - 10PM
Gate City Brewing Company
Join us as the presidential pin gets passed from Becky to Gordon as we ring in the new Rotary year. There couldn't be a better place then Gate City Brewery for Gordon to be inducted as president of our club as it is his second home! There will be plenty of beer and BBQ, but don't worry if you want wine or booze we will have that too. Jimmy Moore's band will make it a rockin event so please join us.
Annual Golf & Tennis Tournament
Please join us, each week, at 11:30 a.m. Thursday as we prepare for our biggest fundraiser of the year - the 41st Annual Aubrey Greenway Golf Tournament and the 7th Annual Hagan Cup Classic Tennis Tournament! The tournament will, once again, be held at the Country Club of Roswell on the Monday after Labor Day (September 9th). The proceeds of this tournament will benefit THIRTY (30) different charities within our community and abroad!
We need the help of EVERY member of our Roswell Rotary Club! Please join us this Thursday (and every Thursday until September!) at 11:30 a.m. as we plan for another fabulous tournament!
If you have any questions, please contact Adele Hamilton @ 678-642-7764 or rotarygolftournament@gmail.com
Want to Travel with Your Fellow Rotarians?
A group of Roswell Rotarians (seen below) traveled together to Europe and enjoyed a fabulous wine cruise down the Danube River together. We met a couple traveling alone and kind of adopted them into our group. Stan and Catherine Schultz are from Southern California and were so very appreciative of our welcoming friendship that Catherine stood at the last dinner together and sang to us. If you want to hear her, follow this link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/I7MK8xAk-lE For those that might enjoy traveling with your fellow Rotarians, we have an informal group and the next adventure is a week long cruise in Hawaii leading up to the International Conference there in June of 2020. Talk to Chris Archer if interested.
Last Week at Rotary
