Thanks to all who came out to support Relay for Life this weekend.  We teamed up with Atlanta Blood Services for a community service trifecta.  Rotarians walked to raise money for cancer research while ABS volunteers signed folks up for future blood donations.  Many thanks to our visionary Community Service Director Chris Mora for creating this fantastic synergy between three great organizations.  Makes us very proud to be East Cobb Rotarians!

Today was our annual Service Above Self Awards, where we honor members of the education, firefighting/EMS, law enforcement and military community for their outstanding service. This year's recipients are Cobb School Board Asst. Superintendent Dr. Doreen Griffeth, Detective Kevin Gardner, Firefighter Mark Thurmond, and Technical Sergeant Dallas Criswell (USAF).

According to Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson, we may not recognize the layout of the typical college campus of 20 years from now.  Of course there will always be football and the social scene, but many other aspects of the delivery of the college experience will change, whether we like it or not.  Peterson and his team are at the cutting edge of the changing dynamics in higher learning.  They know that if our institutions are not out in front of this change, it will run them over and leave them behind.

One way Tech stays ahead of the curve is by seeking out synergies with other institutions of higher learning.  For instance, Tech has a joint program with Emory University whereby students enrolled in Tech or Emory can take courses at either school.  With the convergence of medical science and technology, this is an amazing tool to broaden the experience of students at both universities.

Another example of innovation is the emergence of the "MOOC", or massively open on-line course.  The concept is this:  Certain Georgia Tech classes are open, through the internet, to anyone and everyone, at no charge.  Currently, these classes are being "attended" by literally tens of thousands of people around the globe.  Phase two of the MOOC program will be "monetizing" the concept -- that is, finding a way to verify attendance and test taking so that on-line attendees can be charged a fee to participate in the classes.  With computer mounted cameras now able to perform retinal scans, and other emerging security features, this dream is very close to becoming a reality.

Bud Peterson is a forward-thinking, dynamic speaker, with his roots based in the traditional responsibilities of the university to instill values as well as knowledge in our next generation.  Georgia Tech will undoubtedly continue to prosper under his capable leadership, and we thank him for coming to our Rotary Club to share his vision for the future.

Kennesaw State University Athletic Director Vaughn Williams is driven to win.  What separates Williams from many other college ADs is definition of winning.  Winning for Vaughn Williams is turning student athletes into servant leaders who will make a positive difference in the community for the "4 or 5" years of college, and then the "40 or 50" years thereafter.

Williams shared with us today the story of how he and Vince Dooley, Chairman of the KSU Football Exploratory Committee, made the dream of football at KSU become a reality.  For Williams, football offers yet another, and bigger, platform for KSU to fulfill its mission to bring the best possible university experience to Northwest Georgia. 

Williams knows that we wave the colors of many different college affiliations in this area -- red, gold, orange... -- but he invites us all to be Owls, to wear the yellow and black, and support the new kid on the block when they hit the field in 2014.

We've got some great news to share about two groups East Cobb Rotary sponsors who made us proud over the weekend. 

The Walton HS Robitics Team won the coveted "Chairman's Award" at a regoinal competition, earning the team a trip to the F.I.R.S.T. World Championships for the 3rd year in a row! Overall, the robot finished 6th out of 60 teams after qualifying rounds. Playoffs were amazingly supercompetitive, and they finished in 5th place overall. Alyx Falis, the team Executive Director was named one of two Dean's List Award winners for her contributions to the team and F.I.R.S.T. over the last 4 years.

To win both the Chairman's Award (which focuses more on teamwork, leadership, and community service) AND to build a top-five finisher robot is a remarkable feat that no other competitor came close to accomplishing.  And they did all of this while proudly displaying our East Cobb Rotary Logo.

Meanwhile, our East Cobb Rotary Odyssey of the Mind* Team placed 2nd place in the Regional Competition, and they are headed to the State Finals in April.  Their team tee-shirts have a our East Cobb Rotary Loga and a huge rotary wheel on the back, so they are carrying us with them to the stage of victory, just like our Robotic's kids.

As soon as their competitive seasons have ended, we will have each of these fine groups share with us their stories from the field of competition, as well as the many ways they use the competitive plaftorm to provide community service.

 -Joe

*Odyssey of the Mind, for those of you who may not know, is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

Many thanks to Representative Sharon Cooper (Georgia House District 43) for spending some time with us during this, her absolute busiest time of the legislative year. 

This is "cross-over" season -- the time when bills in the State House and Senate, in order to survive, must be released from committee, passed in their respective chambers, and then crossed over to the other chamber.  Even though this is Rep. Cooper's most frantic period as a public servant, she took time this morning to fill us in on the important issues under consideration at the State House, and, just as importantly, she answered all of our burning questions. 

Typical to form for those of us who have known Sharon Cooper for years, she didn't duck the questions, and she gave us straight answers.

Here's a little bit more info about Rep. Cooper:

Born in Houston, Texas, Sharon is proud to have called Georgia home since 1970. After teaching nursing for several years she met Dr. Tom Cooper. They were married in 1980 and have lived in East Cobb since.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, Sharon was chosen legislator of the year by the Georgia Republican Party in 2000. In 2002 she was elected Minority Caucus Chairman by her Republican colleagues in the Georgia House. In 2004 she was elected Majority Caucus Chairman which made her the highest ranking woman in the Georgia House, the highest rank ever attained by a woman. In 2007, in response to her ever increasing responsibilities as Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and member of the powerful Rules Committee, she assumed the role of Caucus Chair Emeritus. She was also appointed chairman of the Special Committee on Certificate of Need as well as chair of the Special Committee on Saving Grady Hospital.

Representative Cooper continues to chair the Health and Human Services committee, one of the busiest committees in the House. Rep. Cooper is also a member of the Rules, Judiciary Non-Civil, and Regulated Industries committees.

Representative Cooper holds several degrees, including a B.S. in Child Development; a M.A. in Education and MSN in Nursing. She has written two textbooks on Psychiatric Nursing and in 1994 she authored Taxpayer's Tea Party — a how-to book that encouraged the average citizen to become politically active. She was asked to update this book in July 2010.

A graduate of the first class of the Coverdell Leadership Institute, Representative Cooper passed a major revision of the state's stalking law while in her freshman term. In 2002 Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed her to the President's 30-member, National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women. In 2006 Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens credited Rep. Cooper as being the major catalyst behind the creation of Cobb County Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit. She has also served on Former First Lady, Mary Perdue's Advisory Committee on Foster Care.

Rep. Cooper continues to Author and foster legislation that promotes improved health care for Georgians such as: the HIV Screening Bill for Pregnant Women, Georgia Smokefree Air Act, and the "Health Share" Volunteers in Medicine Act. Rep. Cooper has earned the reputation of being one of the hardest working legislators at the Capitol as well as being honest, straightforward and committed. She considers the opportunity to serve the citizens of East Cobb as one of the greatest honors of her life.

Officer Mike Bowman has been on the beat for decades in Cobb County.  But more than that, he was raised here, and he lives here with his family.  So it was not only as police officer, but as a husband and father, that Officer Bowman shared with us today how we can protect ourselves, our businesses, and our families from criminals. 

Every crime has three elements -- a victim, a suspect, and an opportunity.  We can't predict when and where suspects will be lurking, but we can substantially limit the opportunities for them to strike.  Officer Mike Bowman presented to us specific scenarios where East Cobb citizens unwittingly expose themselves to crime, and he showed us how to turn the tables on those would-be attackers and burglars.

Officer Bowman also shared with us ways to deal with an "active shooter" situation.  With recent headlines about the Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticutt shootings still fresh in our minds, knowing how to react, should we ever be faced with such a nightmare, is valuable information.  Officer Bowman recommends we show to our families and our employees a video available on YouTube that sets out the protocol for dealing with an active shooter situation.  The video is entitled "Run, Hide, Fight" and you can find it on YouTube by searching for "Run, Hide, Fight".

Our thanks to Officer Bowman for coming to speak to us, and for his decades-long committment to making Cobb County a safer place for us, our businesses, and our families.

One of Officer Bowman's many duties for Cobb PD is to serve as a spokesperson for media inquiries.  Here he is below answering "tough questions" for a local news investigation about a pitt bull attack that occurred in Cobb County

A big thanks to Principal Elizabeth Mavity and the staff of East Side Elementary for welcoming us into their brand new, state-of-the-art facility.  Principal Mavity gave us a very interesting history lesson about the school, taking us back in time to the early days in 1952 when East Side was the only elementary school in the East Cobb area.  Back then, the principal had to shoo cows from the playground before the kids could be released out there to play.  Today, Principal Mavity only herds children, not cows, but she and her staff have their hands full.  With 1,200 students currrently enrolled, East Side Elementary is nearly at full capacity and is one of the largest elementary schools in the county by enrollment.  But quality doesn't suffer due to quantity at East Side Elementary.  Principal Mavity shared with us recent standarized test scores for East Side students, and they are literally off of the charts.  The students at East Side not only test well, they also join and participate in a wide variety of clubs and organizations.

New East Cobb Rotary Members Laura Anderson and Wade Patrick

After hearing from Principal Mavity, we had a special treat indeed -- we inducted two dynamic new members into our East Cobb Rotary Club.  Wade Patrick, owner and president of Marietta Sports Cars, has known several of our club members for many years.  It was a matter of time before Wade joined up, and he will make a fantastic Rotarian. 

Laura Anderson, a family law attorney in Marietta,  was also an "inevitable Rotarian".  Laura's father set the Rotary example for Laura early on.  Dr. Anderson is Past President of two Rotary Clubs, and Laura credits her burning desire to help others with the the lessons taught to her by her parents.  Dr. and Mrs. Anderson, and Laura's proud husband, were all present today to see her swearing in ceremony.

Our meeting concluded with a technology demonstration by 5th grade teacher Mark Campali and two students from his class.  East Side has adopted the nationwide "B.Y.O.D" (Bring Your Own Device) program where students are encouraged to bring in iPods, iTouch, notebooks or tablets from home for collaborative use in the classroom setting.  If the two 5th graders who presented for us are any indication, the future is very bright, indeed.  The kids not only know technology, they are learning to use it in the group setting so that social interactive skills develop along with hi-tech savy. 

Charles A. "Chuck" Casto is a Deputy Regional Administrator for the NRC.  Chuck took center stage -- the world stage -- in March of 2011 when he headed up the team of U.S. responders to the nuclear disaster that followed the earthquakes and tsunamis in Fukishima, Japan. 

On three hours notice, Chuck found himself on a plane headed directly into a disaster area that was being hastily evacuated.  As their plane drew closer, the news reports coming from those on the scene told the story of a rapidly deteriorating situation.  There was talk of the worse nuclear disaster ever. 

Chuck remained in Japan for 11 months, much of that time his team working around the clock and against overwhelming odds.  In the end, the disaster was contained.  Chuck shared with us today not so much the story of a nuclear disaster as a story of the great relationship that exists between the countries of Japan and the U.S..  Chuck's story referenced many of the "American Heroes" he encountered while on his 11 month tour of duty.  While he saw gut-wrenching scenes of unspeakable devastation, he also witnessed countless acts of human courage and perseverance. 

Though Chuck never said it, what we Rotarians learned today is that Chuck is an American Hero who bravely answered the call of duty, on short notice and without hesitation.  His story is compelling, and we are grateful he took time to share it with us this morning.

Chuck Casto's Bio:  Mr. Casto started his career in nuclear power working on the construction of Sequoyah Unit 2. Post construction and reactor startup, he transferred into operations. He was a licensed operator and operations instructor at Browns Ferry and an NRC certified SRO instructor at Brunswick. Mr. Casto joined the NRC in 1985 as an Operator Licensing Examiner in Region II. He also serves in an appointed position to the Cobb County School system as the Chairman of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax committee that provides oversight for a $2.4B school construction program. Mr. Casto received.a Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

Post 6 Cobb County School Board Member Scott Sweeney took some time from his very busy schedule to update our Rotary Club on the state of the Cobb County School District.  The District has a tremendous impact on our community, as the largest employer, largest operator of fleet vehicles, largest restauranteur, and most broadly empowered govenrmental entity in the county.  And that's before you consider that they, as the second largest school district in the state, are educating over 100,000 of our children every school day.

Scott filled us in on all of the challenges facing the District in the future and how he and the other board members are working to face those challenges.  Our Rotarians had tough questions, and Scott had answers. 

Scott's full bio is below:

After spending more than 28 years in private business as a senior manager, business developer and business owner, Scott Sweeney began his first term as the Post 6 representative in January 2011 and he presently serves as Chairman on the Cobb County Board of Education. Mr. Sweeney earned his Bachelors degree in Economics from UCLA. A fifteen year east Cobb resident, he is the Chief Financial Officer for his family consulting business. As Sr. Vice President with Williams Capital and Vice President with Buchanan Street Partners, he advised on over $700 million in total capital commitments for commercial properties with an aggregate value approaching $3 billion. Scott was Assistant Vice President with Fidelity National Financial, working with their National Title Services group and where he also launched the firm’s qualified intermediary services in the southeastern United States. As a partner and senior manager, he has developed and operated nationally recognized restaurants in CA, OR, NV, GA and CO. Scott has served as a board or committee member on national, state and local non-profit organizations. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and an author of articles for industry publications. His community involvement includes membership with the Republican National Committee, Georgia GOP, Cobb County GOP, Cobb County Republican Women’s Club(Associate), and as a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He serves on the Walton Governance Council. Mr. Sweeney has supported local youth sports through his involvement as an assistant coach with East Side Baseball. He is a member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church. He is married to Sandy Sweeney, a life-long Cobb County resident. They reside in Marietta and are the proud parents of Gabe Sweeney and Jake Sweeney who attend Sope Creek Elementary.

Al Simon is President of Simon, Inc., a sales training, coaching, and business development consulting company based in the Atlanta area. Simon Inc. specializes in teaching business owners and sales professionals to be effective and consistent with their business development strategies, tactics, and attitudes.  He joined us today for an entertaining and informative session on how the "old way" of selling doesn't work, and how today's buyer must be approached.

A 1977 graduate of Georgia Tech with a B.S. degree in Industrial Management, Mr. Simon has more than 30 years of direct sales experience; and he has also been exposed to many different sales strategies and approaches. Consistently the top performer in sales volume for his company before starting Simon, Inc., he has mastered the art of selling in both simple and complex sales cycles. Mr. Simon has also successfully managed salespeople in highly competitive, high-risk situations.

We were honored by a visit from The Honorable Sam Olens, Georgia's Attorney General.  Sam brought us up-to-date on the many issues he's confronting including health care reform, environmental issues, the Savannah Port improvements, proposed changes in the state ethics laws, and much more.  Also in attendance at today's meeting were District 43 State Representative Sharon Cooper and Cobb County Board of Education Member (and outgoing Chairman) Scott Sweeney.

We are very proud of Sam and his success on the larger stage of public life.  And those of us who practiced law as colleagues of Sam in the 80's and 90's find Sam's success to be no mystery.  As an attorney, he always dealt directly and honestly with his clients and colleagues, and he does the same now with his constituents.  Sam handled the tough questions posed by our club members today candidly and without prevarication.

Sam's Bio:

Sam Olens was sworn in as Georgia Attorney General on January 10, 2011.  We have known Sam for years as Chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners (August 2002 through March 2010) and Cobb County District 3 Commissioner (1999 through 2002).

From December 2004 through 2009, Olens was Chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was also Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District from 2005 through March 2010. Olens was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to represent the 6th Congressional District on Georgia's Department of Community Affairs Board in 2003 and served through 2010.

Olens also serves on the boards of various non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

Sam Olens is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2008 Tom Bradley Leadership Award by the National Association of Regional Councils and the 2007 "Excellence in Public Service Award" by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute. For the past eight years, Georgia Trend magazine has listed Olens as one of the "100 Most Influential Georgians." In 2011, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce honored Olens for his dedication to community and philanthropic service by naming their annual community service award the “Sam Olens Business Community Service Award.”

Other honors include the 2010 Trumpet Award from the Cobb County Women's Republican Club, the 2009 James L. Rhoden, Jr. Award for Visionary Philanthropy, the 2009 United Way in Cobb County Volunteer of the Year, and Cobb's "Citizen of the Year" by the Marietta Daily Journal in 2006.

Olens graduated from the Emory University School of Law in 1983 and was a member of Ezor & Olens, P.C. from 1983 through 2010. He is a registered mediator/arbitrator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. He has been admitted to the Georgia and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; the United States Supreme Court; and the District of Columbia.

Olens and his wife Lisa have two children, Lauren and Jonathan.

East Cobb Rotarian Harry Boone, on a recent trip to Nepal, rounded a corner and came face-to-face with the gentleman in the photo below.

As we reflect on this past year and look to the year ahead, we can be proud of the fact we're part of something much bigger -- a major force of positive change in our East Cobb community, and the worldover.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year East Cobb!

The food, drink, and especially the company, were spot-on at the Holiday Party this past Saturday! 

Please thank Allison and Ashley when you see them, for planning and executing the perfect party.  Also, thanks go out to Sarah and Jeff Dimond for continuing the tradition of their leading us in carols (the cheat sheets are very much appreciated!) culminating with the dramatic (often comic) reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".

And, we not only had a lot of fun, we also collected lots and lots of gifts for Toys for Tots, and we will be presenting those to a uniformed Marine at the meeting this week.  Thanks to all of you who brought toys and prizes for the drawing.

The Murphey Family sincerely thanks our East Cobb Rotary Family for fostering the common bond we all share.  Each year, our Holiday Party reminds me of what a great little Rotary Club we really are!

See you all on Wednesday!

Tomorrow our friend and fellow Rotarian goes in for a biopsy on his brain tumor.  Our prayers and well wishes are with you, Reyn.

Also, Jordan will be posting further updates on their family blog, http://connellyconnection.blogspot.com/.  

Our Rotary family is saddened by the loss of Maxine, wife of our friend and fellow Rotarian Dan Power.  Our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family, Dan.

A memorial service to honor and remember Maxine's life will be held on Friday, December 7, 2012 at 2:00 PM in the Chapel at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, 4385 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta, GA 30068.

There will be no meeting of the Rotary Club of East Cobb this week, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Our speaker on November 28 will be Ray McKemie, District 6900 Rotary Foundation Co-Chair.

Have a safe, happy and meaningful Thanksgiving Holiday! 

East Cobb Rotarians, don't forget that our Wednesday 7am club meeting this week will be at Brumby Elementary School, 1306 Powers Ferry Road Southeast Marietta.  We will be in the Media Center (what we used to call "the library" back when we were in school).  Our very own Dr. Amanda Ritchie will update us on the many wonderful things going on at Brumby and how they are using our contributions of time and money to achieve these goals.

Also, this Wednesday is the last day for our CFR "Thanks For Giving" Food Drive.  Please bring all of your donated items and/or money to the meeting at Brumby to hand off to Chris Mora who will get them to CFR.

As always, we welcome guests and visiting Rotarians to join us for our meeting!

 Our club was honored this morning to have Dr. Kathy Schwaig from Kennesaw State University speak at our meeting. Dr. Schwaig gave us some insite about how big both her college of business and the University as a whole has grown with over 25,000 total students and 5,000 students in her business college. She talked about about the high demand from employers for their students coming out with degrees in information systems and information security.  She has certainly help put the University and Cobb County on the map.

 Ms. Jing Chen with New Tany Dynasty TV NTDTV.com enlighten our rotary club this morning about this TV station. While they bring the current news from China, they also broadcast news from China that you don't sometimes hear or see. Please vist their site

The Odyssey of the Mind Team from Mt. Bethel Elementary School has distinguished itself on the international stage.  Most recently, they made it to the Odyssey of the Mind (OTM) 2012 World Finals in Ames, Iowa. 

Unfortunately, this precocious group of academic whiz kids suddenly found themselves without a sponsoring organization, as Mt. Bethel Elementary was unable to continue doing so.  That was when this OTM group reached out, through volunteer Sally Steentjes, to the Rotary Club of East Cobb.  Among our many community outreach projects, we at the East Cobb Rotary support youth development through our New Generations program.  We immediately saw the potential for a win-win scenario, and we are very proud to be the new sponsor for this group of talented and motivated young folks. 

Below are some of the hand made "thank you" cards we recieved from members of our newly adopted OTM team.  These kids are not only smart -- they have good manners!

 Cathy enlighten our club this morning on the history of their organization and how it is funded. She further explained the vital role they play in our community in helping to provide  legal services to those who cannot afford it, and are deprived of their legal rights.  

 
Ron King, shown on the left, was inducted as our newest member of East Cobb Rotary. Congratulations.

Several hundred runners came together on Saturday, August 11th for Rotary's annual 5-K run to raise money for Cobb County's charities.

 East Cobb Rotary's Mike Voegtle has beennamed to Georgia Trend Magazine's Best & Brightest "40 Under 40." Congrats Mike on this well-deserved recognition of his professional andcommunity service achievements!