3-26-2012 – GRSP & Garden Plaza/Friends of Gwinnett Opportunity

Beatty McCaleb Speaks to RCL about Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) 3-26-2012 from Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Vimeo.
On Monday, March 26, the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville heard from three different speakers. First, Lisa Lewis, the campus manager at Garden Plaza, informed the group about the 10th Annual Silent Auction supporting Friends of Gwinnett County Senior Services. The event will be held on Thursday, April 26, at Delmar Gardens, 3100 Club Drive, Lawrenceville, GA. Tickets are $25.00, and sponsor opportunities ranging from $100 to $1000 are available. According to Lisa, “FRIENDS has been a dedicated supporter of the Senior Meals program, donating new full-equipped vehicles and special food service equipment, as well as sponsoring many seniors for meal delivery and helping meet emergency needs of seniors in crisis.”

Beatty McCaleb, the club’s New Generations Chair and an active supporter of Rotarian programs for young people, provided a Power Point update on the Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP). He introduced Rima Gedeon, the student from Beirut, Lebanon, currently sponsored by our club. Beatty reviewed the history of the GRSP program since 1946 and emphasized that it is not an exchange program. Currently 55 students from 20 countries are attending 27 colleges in Georgia. He explained that the program is funded through our individual assessments of $7.00, through club sponsorships, and through the Endowment Fund, which currently has a value of over $9 million. There is no Rotary International funding used for this program. Charts demonstrated the sharp rise in university tuition and costs over the last few years and outlined how the Georgia districts have responded to this rise. He described how individual sustaining memberships ranging from $100 to $100,000 help to fund the program. The Lawrenceville club has been 100% in its $100 per member donations over the past years. He closed by recommending that we contribute to the Endowment Fund and that we set expectations for the club that we would give. He then accepted questions from the group.

Finally, President Brian Edwards showed a video demonstrating the beauties of Hilton Head Island and Resort, where the District 6910 meeting will be held May 10-13. He encouraged members to get their reservations in soon.

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