The Rotary Club of Lawrenceville earlier in the year committed to an annual donation of a Shelter Box containing medical supplies to an area with serious shortages of medical equipment and supplies. At the January 27, 2014, meeting, President Nancy McGill presented the first of a series of $1,000 checks to Shelter Box representative Charles Dollar. Shriner Bobby Williams talked to the group about the destination for the first Box donated by the club. It will soon be going to a Shriner Hospital for burned children in Paraguay. He, along with Rotarian Davis Stevenson, visited the hospital a couple of times and spoke to the dire conditions and the need for equipment to save these children, all of whom have life-threatening burns. The Burn Center is crowded and needs just about everything. They have great doctors and nurses but need supplies. Williams told of various ways to further contribute to the cause, including ez-Pay options and an “un-candy” or “un-flower” gift to friends and loved ones.

       Rotarian Russ Weekley, senior pastor of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Snellville, spoke to his Rotary colleagues about end-of-life planning at the noon January 13 meeting. He recommended “caring conversations” between family members and loved ones to make sure that important information is available when it is needed. He pointed out that a will is not sufficient to convey all that needs to be communicated and that Georgia has a new four-part form for such planning. He shared a 30-page handout that if filled out would provide all the information survivors would probably need. It covered such issues as an advance directive for health care, final funeral arrangements, factual information about a person’s life with needed identification numbers, and biographical information. In the question period, lawyers, financial planners, and insurance advisors in the group supported his recommendations and emphasized the necessity of having correct beneficiary information on policies and investments

At the December 30 noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, Christopher D. Brand described the work of FODAC, the Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. He serves as president of this group which supports the disabled by promoting “increased independence and more participation in education, the workplace, and the community.” FODAC is the largest domestic distribution program of used home care equipment to those who need it; they collect and distribute donated equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, hospital beds, computers, scooters, and shower equipment, as well as provide home and vehicle modification aid, most free or at a minimal charge. They serve the local community needs for supplies first and then move to regional, national, and international requests. Volunteers refurbish donations and organize the very large operation center located in the Stone Mountain/Tucker area. The center has an annual operating budget of $1.3 million and has 25 employees. They have participated in relief for such disasters as Katrina; Sandy; Moore, OK; and Haiti. The most current need is for a new box truck for pick-ups and deliveries. He expressed thanks for the many organizations and hospitals which participate in this nationally acclaimed “best practices” program and provide this valuable service to the disabled.

At the Dec. 16 noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, Dr. Adrianne Edwards, a microbiologist researcher at Emory University and wife of Rotarian Brian Edwards, explained to the group what public tax dollars go toward in scientific academic research and why such support is important. Before talking about her own personal research at Emory, she sought to clarity why it is so important that tax dollars be dedicated to academic research projects. Such research is the primary resource for basic scientific discoveries in the United States. Lately federal budget cuts and sequestration have limited funding sources, reducing the number of scientists and projects approved by NIH, NSF, and federal departments. Only 17.6% of all submissions for study grants are currently approved. Public funding is important because private companies which focus on profits would never be able to support the type of long-term projects, collaborations, and experiments that lead to important health-improving discoveries. Dr. Edwards pointed out that “Academic research directly benefits public health and policy and provides the foundation for further research and drug development by private companies and industry.” Since academic research is open and available, it promotes sharing among scientists. She then described the work she does as a postdoctoral fellow in Shonna McBride’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory. Her research focuses on elucidating the genetic pathways that regulate spore formation in the gastrointestinal pathogen Clostridium difficile. This pathogen is a major health problem in hospitals, nursing homes, or wherever the spore exists.

On Monday, December 9, Rotarian Amanda Sutt spoke to her home club about lessons she has learned from a book entitled The E-Myth Book Revisited, a best-selling book which teaches business management skills to struggling entrepreneurs. In early 2013, Amanda started training to become an EMyth coach after being a client for a year and a half. She asserted that being a client of EMyth transformed her business and her life, and she wanted to share this with other business owners and leaders. She said, “I have a passion for helping leaders create the business they could always see but never quite get to. I also know how hard it is to get clarity when you’re in the middle of it all.” The EMyth program provides guidance in determining the why, what, and how for business development. She went over the nine principles of business outlined in the program and then took questions from the group, emphasizing the importance of communication and discussing generational differences in employees.

Kimberly Alexander, the program director and fundraiser for MedShare, presented information about her group to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Monday, December 2. MedShare is responsible for collecting medical supplies in barrels placed in hospitals around the country. These supplies are then sent to hospitals and clinics around the world which need sutures, IV tubing, syringes, and equipment. U.S. health regulations require that many un-used items be trashed by hospitals. MedShare collects these useable supplies and gets them to needy nations. One distribution center is here in the Atlanta area. When items are collected, they are then sorted through two stages and prepared for shipment in 40-foot containers to 95 countries. Sometimes used but good equipment is also sent to hospitals, along with the necessary technological assistance to make it work. She praised the 15,000 volunteers which annually help out with MedShare and described the funding process. A container costs $18,000 plus shipping expenses. The Rotary Club of Lawrenceville is working on supplying such aid to Paraguay in the future. More information is available on the webpage www.medshare.org.

Visiting with the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on November 18 was Kate Parker, the GRSP student whom the club is helping to sponsor at Benau University this year. Kate arrived from New Zealand in August and is enjoying her Georgia experience. She told the group about her life back in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, and showed pictures of her family and pets, including a wonderful shot of her horse coming into their kitchen to steal a carrot. Horseback riding, skiing, biscuiting (tubing), and hiking are favorite family activities. She gave a brief history of the settlement of New Zealand and showed beautiful scenes from Te Awamutu, Rotura, Lake Taupo, Wellington, and Auckland. There were lovely snow-covered mountain scenes and pictures of black and white beaches. She pointed out differences in English vocabulary with words like chips, jandels, fizzy drinks, lollies, biscuits, and togs. The most popular sport there is rugby (New Zealand won the World Cup last year). She concluded by talking about prominent New Zealand industries: sheep, dairy farms, fruit (like kiwi), and tourism. The Harry Potter films have caused a surge in tourism.