“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” - Confucius
It was clear listening to our returning Rotary Youth Exchange student, Kate Rojales, that she put all of her heart into the time she spent as our outbound student to Mexico last year. Kate clearly did a fantastic job representing the Rotary Club of Alpharetta. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and she treated us to a wonderful walk through her memories with pictures of a year that will clearly be remembered her entire life. We look forward to hearing more from Kate now that she has returned from her year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student and begins her college career at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
We are also very pleased to report that, after some flight delays and travel problems, our outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student, Sophia Gomez, has safely arrived in Paraguay. We are looking forward to reports from Sophia during her upcoming year.
This Week's Speaker –
Our speaker this week is Kyle McGowan. Kyle is the Chief of Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to joining CDC, Kyle most recently served as the Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that capacity, he worked in the immediate office of the Secretary and across all HHS staff and operating divisions to listen to and coordinate with external groups. He worked closely with the Secretary’s public affairs team to amplify and spread HHS’s priorities directly to external groups and partners and worked directly on many of the agency’s priority issues including the opioids epidemic, drug pricing, and health reform.
Before joining the Department of Health and Humans Services, Kyle served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Tom Price, M.D. In that role, he helped the Congressman develop a comprehensive strategy to promote priorities to constituents, local business leaders, and other elected officials.
Kyle has worked for multiple members of Congress and has experience running several congressional and statewide campaigns. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia. Kyle and his wife Charlene have one son and live in Roswell, Georgia.
Opportunities for Fellowship and to Serve –
- Mayor’s Corporate Challenge – It is hard to believe that the Mayor’s Corporate Challenge is only a week away. We still need volunteers for many duties between now and the event. We will hear more from Joe Wargo and his team on Friday, but please be prepared to volunteer your time for our biggest fund raiser of the year. Don’t forget, this is the source behind the work that we are able to do throughout the year.
- Fresh Market –If you’ve not participated before, catch the sign-up sheet that’s passed around each meeting. This is an easy way to serve those in need by taking breads and other items from Fresh Market to NFCC to be given to those in need. Contact Lee Doernberg.
- USO Dates – October 4th and December 6th we have an opportunity to support our military servicemen and women at the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport
- Dunwoody Rotary Club BBQ Competition – At Perimeter Mall on September 7th and 8th.
- Lionheart Grill and Gridiron - North Fulton’s biggest and best tailgate party! Grilling & Gridiron benefitting The Lionheart School is Saturday, September 8. Tastings tailgate starts at 1:30 in the afternoon on food truck alley in downtown Alpharetta and the UGA vs. South Carolina game on the big screen at 3:00. David Belle Isle will be leading our cooking team, and he will make his world-famous brisket. He needs a team of Rotarians to help him set up, serve, and clean up the Rotary booth.
Have a wonderful week and I hope to see you on Friday!
Robin McIntire
President
2018-2019
Rotary Club of Alpharetta