This Week's Speaker: Frederick W. Cerrone Founder & Chairman, Hotel Equities - "No Room At the Inn"
Fred Cerrone serves as Founder and Chairman of Hotel Equities with a portfolio of more than 100 properties nationwide. His five-decade career started as a desk clerk at Boston’s largest hotel and includes work as an award-winning GM, an astute management company executive and a successful hotel owner. After many years in key positions with top hotels, he launched Hotel Equities in 1989 and Marriott tapped him as one of their first franchise partners.
In 2012, he co-founded Hotel Development Partners (HDP), an Atlanta-based joint venture between Hotel Equities, IRE Capital and McCarthy Investments to acquire and develop premier-branded hotels. He serves as COO of HDP which has properties under management in Atlanta, Charleston and Miami and properties under development in Atlanta.
Marriott International named Hotel Equities the recipient of its prestigious “Spirit to Serve Award for Community Service” in 2012 and again in 2016. The award recognizes the company’s values as expressed through employee volunteerism plus in-kind and cash donations to nonprofits. Hotel Equities is also a two-time winner of the Marriott Partnership Circle Award.
Chairman of Marriott’s Fairfield Inn Franchise Advisory Board, Fred holds an MBA from Georgia State University and an undergraduate degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Miami Dade College.
Upcoming Event: Tour of Grady Memorial Hospital - Thursday, November 16, 2017
A few weeks ago our speaker was Frank Blake, Chairman of Grady Hospital Corporation. We learned many interesting things about Grady and the services they offer the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. They are nationally rated and provide outstanding services for burn victims, stroke patients, ER services and many other medical conditions.
Our tour date is Thursday, November, 16, 2017 at 11 AM ET.
Our plan is, hopefully, to have volunteer drives so we can carpool. Dependent upon the number of cars, the hospital will reserve spaces for us in the employee parking deck. It is always fun to ride together and share Rotary ideas and get to know each other better.
RSVP and registration is now closed. Please speak with Kathy Brandt if you have any questions.
Dresden and Kingsley Elementary Schools Book Projects - December 1, 2017
On Friday, December 1st, at our regular meeting Dunwoody Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and guests will be packaging roughly 1,800 books for students at Dresden Elementary and Kingsley Elementary Schools.
Immediately following the meeting, we will need 2-3 people with trucks or SUV’s to help transport the books to the schools. (Also needing a hand truck if anyone has one that could be lent to this project)
On Wednesday morning, December 13th, we are looking for 10-15 volunteers to go to the schools to pick up thank you cards that the students have prepared for the club.
If anyone is interested in volunteering the either help deliver books or pick up thank you cards please contact Jack Sparks at jack.sparks@firstcitizens.com or (404) 414-8338.
Updated Personal Information in R.I. Database Needed
We need your help. The Caring Hands Committee reports several members have written back advising they received birthday cards wishing them well, and although they are appreciative of the thought, have indicated it was not their birthday.
We have traced the problem back to the information members have listed in the Rotary International database.
We ask for each of you to log into the Rotary International database (https://rotary.org) and review the data listed for you (i.e. birthday, anniversary, etc.) in the "My Rotary" section.Once you have verified the information listed is correct, you need to save the record to trigger a download that will also update the information listed in the District database. (Hint: If you make any change you get the option of saving the change. If record is correct make a minor change and then change it back to have the option of saving changes)
If you make a good faith effort to update, but for some reason can't access the RI database, please send the following information to: RCDSecr@gmail.com
- Your Name
- Your Birthday
- Your Wedding Anniversary
- Your Spouse's Birthday
Toys for Tots at the Holiday Luncheon - December 15, 2017
We will have representatives from the United States Marine Corps join us for our Luncheon.
Over the years our club has become one of the major donors for this worthy project of taking care of kids in need at Christmas.
RCD Member Passion Survey Results - Club Projects
This week’s presentation on results of the member “passion” survey focused on club projects … our passion for current projects, our ranking of potential service areas, and the church projects and organizations we support outside of Rotary. Overall, the results suggest that while we have passion for several of the projects we support, we need to have a deeper discussion about our service focus and the types of project we want to be involved in going forward.
This article includes a high-level look at the survey results; you can see the full presentation at https://goo.gl/Szj2ZM.
For the high-level look:
- Current projects: Only three had “very passionate support” from more than 50% of survey respondents – End Human Trafficking, Polio Plus and Club Grants; very passionate support for the top 11 projects ranged from 36% - 54%. When we looked at the whole list of current projects, adding “very passionate” and “mild” support together, the top 11 projects (as rated by respondents) had 74% support and most other projects had support from about 50% of the club.
- GRSP and Rotary Youth Exchange: While our GRSP student ranked in the top 11 under current projects, the various components of our GRSP and Rotary Youth Exchange involvement received “very passionate” support from less than one-third of the club. With GRSP in particular, this is concerning because 25-33% of our annual charitable spending supports GRSP
- Potential projects: When we asked members to rank their interest in possible causes outside our current projects, the top five (based on percentage ranking them in their top 5) were: hunger, help for veterans, child literacy, bullying and elder issues. Each of these received top five ranking from less than 50% of respondents (from 46% for hunger to 33% for elder issues). There were several write-in ideas – mostly suggested by one member each.
- Projects and organizations you support outside Rotary today: The survey asked about this to explore potential partnerships with other organizations in our community – and to learn what else it might tell us about your passions. The results were amazing - you each support many, sometimes dozens of organizations personally and certainly collectively as a group. The top five included children’s hospitals, many local schools, colleges, Goodwill and the Dunwoody Nature Center. You also mentioned several countries where organizations you support are doing work – which could provide direction for Dunwoody Rotary involvement.
Overall, the message seems clear that we need to have further discussion with our members to provide more insight on how we set our community and international service agenda. We are hoping to schedule those discussions early in 2018.
Calling All Entrepreneurs!
Are you an Entrepreneur? Would you be willing to serve on a Panel Discussion regarding your Entrepreneurial experience(s)?
If so the Rotaract Club of Atlanta would like to host a panel discussion on Entrepreneurship to its members and guests at an upcoming meeting sometime, over the next several months. This would be our third panel discussion to the RCA on a topic of their choosing. These sessions are moderated, generally lasting 30-40 minutes with 3-4 RCD panelists.
If you're an entrepreneur and interested in sharing your insights with a highly energized group of young professionals (ages 22-30) please contact Warren Turner, RCD Rotaract Liaison, by phone 404-664-6000 or email wturner@cardinalpoints.com
RCD Rotarian Re-Elected to Dunwoody City Council
Rotarian Jim Ritcher re-elected to Dunwoody City Council representing District 2. Here Jim celebrates the news, as election results are tallied, with Councilwoman Pam Tallmadge District 1, also re-elected.
Rotarian Terry Nall also serves on the Dunwoody City Council.
Several Dunwoody Rotarians participated in pre and post election activities, locally.
GEORGIA ROTARY STUDENT PROGRAM INC. - OSLO SCHOLARSHIP - Due December 31, 2017
Do you know a worthy 20-24 year-old looking to study abroad?
The Norwegian Rotary Advisory Board is once again will be inviting three (3) young Georgia students to study in Norway next summer.
Rotary Club of Dunwoody (RCD) is trying to identify possible candidate(s) for this award. The final selection will be made by a committee of Trustees in each District.
The program includes:
- Air fares Atlanta-Oslo and return to Atlanta,
- A field tour to Bergen (administered by the University of Oslo),
- Room, board and tuition at the International Summer School at the University of Oslo (http://www.uio.no/english/)
- and visiting for one week with Norwegian Rotary host families.
The recipients of the scholarships must pay their travel expense to and from Atlanta, plus provide their own personal spending money.
PURPOSE:
While the immediate goal of this International School is to impart knowledge about some aspects of Norway, it also seeks to increase understanding and good will among nations through daily living together.
GENERAL COURSES:
Norwegian Art, Norwegian Language, History, Folklore and Literature of Norway and Scandinavia, Economics, Politics, Culture and Society, International Relations and Development Studies
GRADUATE COURSES:
Educational System of Norway, Physical Education in Norway, Medical Care and Health Services in Norway, Peace Research, Energy Planning and the Environment, Special Education, Kulturlivet i samtidesn Norge, Norwegian Petroleum Law and Transboundary Pollution.
The University of Oslo will issue a Certificate of Achievement to all who satisfactorily complete the Summer School courses. Credits may also be certified.
For More information or an application please contact Warren Turner Director of RCD Youth Services at 404-664-6000 or wturner@cardinalpoints.com until December 15, 2017. The scholarship application deadline is: December 31, 2017.
Get Ready to Welcome the World in January 2018!
No we’re not having another Rotary International Convention here in 2018, but January 13, 15, 2018, we will host the 16th GRSP Leadership Weekend – bringing all 45 students from the class of 2017-18 to Atlanta. There is at least one opportunity for every Dunwoody Rotarian and your families to be involved as the students explore “Service Above Self” and their possibilities for making a difference in the world. The weekend starts Friday afternoon at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and continues all day Saturday and Sunday morning at Oglethorpe University. Friday and Saturday evenings are for fellowship and fun.
We’ll share more details on the weekend’s agenda as we get closer. For now, we’re especially looking for host families who can welcome GRSP students to their home on Friday and Saturday night. It’s a great way to get to know a couple of students better – and from personal experience, it’s pretty easy. Host families provide beds to sleep in, breakfast Saturday and Sunday, a Saturday night meal, and transportation (home from Friday night’s event, and to and from Oglethorpe Saturday and Sunday morning). We already have previous host families signed up to help again – with room for about 20-25 of the students, so we’re looking for more volunteers.
If you’re interested, please contact Jackie Cuthbert at cuthbert@mindspring.com or 770-597-1183, and remember - even if you can’t host for the weekend, we’ll have other opportunities for you to spend time with the GRSP students. So watch for more information in November and December.
RCD Caring Hands
An oft-quoted maxim says, "No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". - Theodore Roosevelt
The cards for members and their families that circulate during our meetings are one way to express shared joy over good news or shared concern about difficulties experienced. As one of our members recently stated at his return from surgery, getting a card with heartfelt greetings from all the members present helped him feel better and heal sooner.
Once we know our friendly breakfast club is also a caring club, our dedication to "Service Above Self" is stronger and we look forward to participating in projects and events with other Rotarians. If we are in need of a service, the first call made will be to a Rotarian.
So, if you are aware of an approaching or pat event worthy of celebration or concern, please tell Dottie Toney-Ransom at toneydot@me.com. You can also write it on either a yellow card (for joy) or a blue card (for concern) and leave it on the table, or place it in Dottie's hand at the end of the meeting.
We ARE a very caring club! Thank you for helping to make it so.
From the desk of the Newsletter Editor
Send your Newsletter submission to: rcdnewsletter@yahoo.com
Our Club's Weekly Newsletter typically consists of:
- Speaker bio
- New Member Name(s)
- Featured article(s) (regarding events, service projects, or on-going topics general club administrative items, etc..).
- Foundation initiatives or other topics of interest to Members and with value for our Club archives.
- Announcements (seeking volunteers, advertising service projects, etc.)
- For Your Calendar (Club and other activities we encourage members and/or their spouses to attend, including Family of Rotary events
- Member News (birthdays, anniversaries, accomplishments, Caring Hands)
Please keep in mind key components to include with your submission:
- Title of your article
- Description of the activity
- Dates, Time, Location, deadline, etc... (especially for upcoming events)
- Key Points of Contact Information and/or a link to reference website for details
- Names and/or headcount of Rotarians (and others) participating,
- The reaction of those benefiting and the numbers of those benefiting.
- Picture(s)
Please also tell me the number of weeks would you like the article published.
Finally, the deadline for articles to run in the current week are Mondays by 5 p.m.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thank you!
The RCD Newsletter Editor