PRESIDENT'S CORNER
President Nancy Schroeder's Welcome Message
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs, I welcome you to visit our club and experience the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs' hospitality and energy. We meet on Monday for lunch at 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Hilton Perimeter Suites, 6120 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. You can reserve a spot by going to our website at www.sandyspringsrotary.org. Join your fellow professionals, and community and business leaders, and learn how Rotary can fit in your future. Experience Rotary Making A Difference!
Upcoming Program
Author Keith Dunnavant to address the RCSS, 03-16-2020
On Monday, March 16 at 12:15, author Keith Dunnavant will be addressing the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs.
Mr. Dunnavant is the author of seven books, including SPY PILOT, a true story of Cold War intrigue and redemption ( which he co-authored with Francis Gary Powers, Jr.), and definitive biographies of football icons Paul "Bear" Bryant, Bart Starr and Joe Montana. His books often explore the collision of sports and culture, including THE MISSING RING, which focused on the 1966 University of Alabama football team's pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world, against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and a time and place on the brink. Formerly a nationally prominent sportswriter and magazine executive, Keith has been utilized as a college football historian by ESPN, HBO, Showtime, and SEC Network (including a prominent role in the recent eight-part documentary series SATURDAYS IN THE SOUTH) and also produces, directs and writes documentaries, including an upcoming film about the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane.
Previous Program
Janice Alexander is helping Georgia's Children and Parents
On Monday March 2, Janice Alexander, the Outreach Manager for the Georgia Department of Human Services addressed the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs. Among her responsibilities, Ms. Alexander handles the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) which has the great responsibility of bettering the lives of more than 533,000 Georgia children.
DCSS provides outreach programs to help families achieve self-sufficiency. These programs are devoted to increasing non-custodial parental involvement in children’s lives.
There are three main outreach programs. The first that Ms. Alexander spoke about was Child Access & Visitation. This program allows the DCSS to partner with social service agencies for visitation and parenting time, counseling, parenting plans, and mediation.
The second program Janice explained is simply called the Fatherhood Program. This program works with fathers who are unemployed or underemployed and struggle to meet full child support obligations. Though this program has a simple name, it is elaborate and includes many services like job placement, short-term training, GED classes, Federal bonding, volunteer services, and resume writing.
The third program is named Parental Accountability Court. This program is a joint effort of the department and Superior Court judges to offer an alternative to incarceration. It helps chronic non-payers of child support by using community resources and judicial oversight to address the many barriers that can keep parents from meeting their support obligations. Services provided under this program include mental health support, clinical assessments, substance abuse and drug treatment, job assistance/placement, coaching, mentoring, and volunteer work opportunities.
Ms Janice Alexander, Outreach Manager for the Georgia Department of Services, Office of Legislative Affairs and Outreach
More information the Division of Child Support Services can be found at: 1-844-MYGADHS or
www.childsupport.ga.gov
From left to right: Janice Alexander and Nancy Schroeder, 2019-2020 President of the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs
The Rotary Club of Sandy Springs would like to thank Ms. Janice Alexander for her time and for the wonderful work she does in helping Georgia children and their parents.
Biographical information about Janice Alexander can be found here: https://sandyspringsrotary.org/newsletter/show/1136
Photos from this program can be found, free of charge, here: https://rotaryclubofsandysprings.zenfolio.com/p404061139
Previous Program
Michael Link, Director of Community Relations, Office of Public Affairs
Michael Link, Community Relations Director with DBHDD (GA Dept of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities) spoke to our club on March 9. The main thrust of his discussion was on opioid abuse in Georgia.
His department provides a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week crisis access line. It is staffed by licensed clinicians. It is free and confidential. It is available in is all 159 counties in Georgia.
He discussed the landmark victory the State of Oklahoma won against Johnson & Johnson in 2019. The judgement amount was for $572Mil for J&J’s contribution to the opioid crisis.
Also discussed was how Doctors can help. They can encourage their patients to lock up their medications and properly dispose of unused and expired medications. They can also discuss with patients when is too long to take these meds.
The Federal Government has granted a $19Mil per year for two years to the state of Georgia as well as other states to increase access to treatment and reduce opioid overdose deaths through prevention, treatment and recovery activities.
For more information about the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, visit this link:
https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/
From left to right: Nancy Schroeder, 2019-2020 President of the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs and Michael Link, Community Relations Director with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
The Rotary Club of Sandy Springs thanks Michael for his thoughtful presentation and for all the work he has done in his field.
These photos and more can be downloaded free of charge here: https://rotaryclubofsandysprings.zenfolio.com/p223...
A Look Ahead
A quick glimpse of our Rotary meeting dates
If you have inquiries please send them to tlawrimore@gmail.com
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Greeters and Invocation Leader for March 16, 2020
Rotary Club of Sandy Springs Greeters & Invocation leader for next meeting. (03/16/2020)
| Greeter A: |
| Charan Shikh |
| Greeter B: |
| Scott Einfeldt |
| Invocation Leader: |
| Carl Pirkle |