Mark D’Nunzio of Market Point Solutions and Jeff Dunn of Northwest Exterminating had the Monday, April 15, program for the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville. They offered advice on ways to increase sales in a company and showcased the policies of Northwest Exterminating.  There Jeff enjoys the opportunity to assist in the growth and development of the sales team members’ individual careers, by equipping them with the resources necessary to be effective in building customer relationships and maintaining sources of income generation. With a focus on Performance Competencies, the two speakers broke down those competencies into Cognitive and Interpersonal, Attitudinal, and Skills Competencies.  In an attempt to provide a model of a high performing salesperson, they outlined these Four Disciplines for Sales:  1.  Set a higher standard.  2. Constantly manage your attitude.  3. Create a plan with a focus on results. 4.  Train and hone all aspects of your craft.

https://vimeo.com/64103017

The Executive Director of the J. M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA, Kim Nelson, spoke at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Monday, April 8. She outlined the many services provided by the YMCA and offered statistics related to usage of the facilities. This YMCA has served Gwinnett County for twenty-five years and remains committed to strengthing the community by providing opportunity for all citizens. In partnership with local businesses, they are able to serve 11,000 individuals and 3,500 families. They provide a safe environment in which members may use the many amenities, including an indoor and outdoor pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer fields, a ropes course, water and regular zumba classes, and aerobics. She cited the “coach approach” as a special program which offers coaches to work with individuals who need to increase their physical activity. She described their Child Care, Day Camp, and Sports activities and facilities for children, teens, and adults. Goals are to ensure school readiness, improve academic achievement, empower healthy living, and inspire teen leadership. Financial assistance is available for those who can’t afford the fees. She encouraged donations to their Annual Giving Campaign that will enable the YMCA to maintain its high quality services.

https://vimeo.com/63599617

President-elect Nancy McGill invited members of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville to share news related to their companies or positions at the noon meeting of the Club on April 1. Reporting were Richard Steele, Tax Commissioner for Gwinnett County; Marshall Boutwell, President and CEO of Peach State Federal Credit Union; Thomas Shepherd, Senior Vice President of the Gwinnett Health System, and Alvin Wilbanks, CEO and Superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools. Richard Steele updated the group on changes related to the title taxes on moving vehicles. He clarified how Fair Market Value would be defined and who pays for leased vehicles. He also reminded property owners that assessment notices will be mailed by April 5, with a 45-day window for appeal. Marshall Boutwell spoke on behalf of the Board for the Aurora Theatre, which recently suffered fire damage that destroyed some sets and costumes. A fund raising effort will be initiated to replace the property and raise money for the Theatre. He praised the high quality of the productions and encouraged the group to buy season tickets to support the theatre. Tom Shepherd emphasized the teaching aspect of the Gwinnett Medical Center, informing the group of the pharmacy, nursing, and radiology students, as well as medical residents, which have long been served by the Center. A new development is a graduate medical education program planned for next year. He touted the quality of the cardiac unit and of the Center as a whole. Alvin Wilbanks described a program in Gwinnett Public Schools which provides mentors for black males, the group at most risk in our education system. Students are referred by principals and assigned a mentor who devotes time to them and their families. He extended a call for volunteers to help with this successful program. Another program he featured was the Student Leadership Program, which takes a couple of 11th-12th grade students through a leadership training program.

https://vimeo.com/63120895

https://vimeo.com/66261437

Trish Kennedy, Executive Director for eClass with the Gwinnett County School District, spoke at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on March 25.  The eClass program promises to consolidate and increase the resources and tools available to teachers in the system.  The emphasis is on using technology to transform what teachers do by providing the necessary technological support and training.  She outlined the five-year roll out plan which will enable teachers to create the classroom of the future and to keep pace with the fast-changing world.  Funded by SPLOST, the program seeks to keep digital resources up-to-date and to involve students in active, exciting learning experiences. After presenting a lively video featuring Gwinnett County students, she entertained questions from the group.

https://vimeo.com/62638243

“The Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest”

Gary Webb provided information to his fellow Rotarians about the Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education Program at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Monday, March 18. The program, known as the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest, is fourteen years old. Over 400,000 essays have been submitted over those years and more than $200,000 in prize money passed along to 49 participating Georgia high schools. The goal of the essay contest is to have an impact on lives of students. It fills a need in schools to explore shared ethical values. Students compose an essay related to a saying which applies to their lives with the emphasis being on the personal reflection, not correct grammar or mechanics. Gary introduced Horace Buckley, a ninth-grader at Gwinnett High School, who was there with his father. Horace read his winning essay based on the saying “Life is short. Just go.” Gary then told stories of particular students who had success stories related to their participation in this program. He is a judge for this competition and acknowledged how difficult the judging often was.

https://vimeo.com/62124709

Five Gwinnett County high schools participated in this year’s Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest, which is the largest character education writing competition in North America. Statewide, nearly 40,000 high school students wrote a Laws of Life essay, and 6,314 of those students were residents of Gwinnett.

The Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest asks students to select a “Law of Life” or maxim (such as “Honesty is the best policy,” or “To give is better than to receive”), and to write about how the character value contained in the quote applies to the student’s life. Some of the maxims selected by Gwinnett students include, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” (Eleanor Roosevelt), “To listen, when nobody else wants to listen, is a beautiful thing” (Mother Teresa), and “Count your blessings.”

In writing their essays, students are challenged to examine and reflect upon core values such as generosity, courage and compassion. The contest, which rewards students who are willing to take a stand for their beliefs, provided more than $17,000 in student awards and teacher honoraria this year alone.

The Georgia Laws of Life contest is a program of the Georgia Rotary Districts Character Education Program, Inc. (GRDCEP), a Rotary-based nonprofit organization. The Rotary Club of Gwinnett and the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville are contest sponsors, along with 40 additional Rotary Clubs throughout Georgia including the Rotary Club of Stone Mountain which sponsored Shiloh High. The Georgia Power Foundation is one of several Presenting Sponsors, and Gwinnett-based Peach State Federal Credit Union serves as one of several Silver Level sponsors.

The national model for the contest was created in 1987 by Sir John Templeton, a noted philanthropist and the founder of The John Templeton Foundation. The Georgia contest is in its 14^th year, and since its inception more than 406,000 Laws of Life essays have been written by Georgia teens.

This year’s participating Gwinnett County high schools include Berkmar High, Brookwood High, North Gwinnett High, Peachtree Ridge High, and Shiloh High. We thank the schools’ Laws of Life contest chairs – Ms. Dennise Peagler, Mr. Dana Kling, Ms. Barbie Nelson, Ms. Leigh Ann Danley, and Ms. Gayle Bankhead – for championing the program within their schools.

Student winners from Gwinnett include:

Berkmar High School: School Winner Lizabeth Pena; Grade Winners Kimberly Salas, Alexandra Pearlstein, and Jenny LeNguyen

Brookwood High School: School Winner Nicholas Na; Grade Winners Cindy Nguyen and Lauren Jones

North Gwinnett High School: School Winner Horace Buckley; Grade Winners Eunbi Kim, Kaycee Shuler, and Alex Kario

Peachtree Ridge High School: School Winner Jessica Palencia; Grade Winners Tatiana Patino, Benjamin Scott, and Navera Tahamddin

Shiloh High School: School Winner J’Markus George; Grade Winner Jaylin Wiggins

High schools that are interesting in participating in the 2013-2014 contest, and individuals and corporations that are interested in serving as contest sponsors, should visit www.georgialawsoflife.org   thank you Gwinnett Citizen for Sharing

David O. Crews is the CEO of View Point Health, formerly called GRN Community Service Board.  View Point Health is a public provider of services to adults and youth who have a mental illness or a substance abuse addiction.  Additionally, services are provided to adults who are developmentally disabled.

While Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton have traditionally been View Point’s core service area for approximately 12,000 clients annually, VPH owns and operates a regional twenty-seven bed adolescent facility in DeKalb County.  Additionally, the agency, with a $35 million budget and 400+ employees, has staff stationed in Augusta, Athens, Savannah, and Albany providing care management services to youth and families who are striving to avoid a residential out-of-home placement.

Prior to his August 11, 2012 appointment as CEO by the View Point Board of Directors, David served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at View Point for twelve years.  Previously, he served twenty years as CFO and Associate Superintendent for Gwinnett County Public Schools.  As Associate Superintendent for ten years, David directed all business, construction and planning functions for the district that grew from serving 35,000 students to 100,000 students during his tenure.  His forty plus years of governmental experience also includes serving as CFO for the Georgia Department of Human Resources and as a Senior Auditor for the State Auditor’s office.

https://vimeo.com/61569726