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WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
Rotary Onlinehttps://dunwoodyrotary.org
ROTARY CLUB OFFridays, 7:15 am |
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| President | Matthew Johnson |
| Immediate PP | Louise Barden |
| Vice President | David Burr |
| Treasurer | Carter Stout |
| Secretary | Mark Galvin |
| Public Image | Bob O'Brien |
Read On ... Don't Miss Opportunities for ...
- An update on our RCD Charitable Fund and the financial markets at this Friday's meeting
- Helping with next weekend's GRSP Leadership Weekend ... a 25-year Dunwoody tradition
- Golf tournament support
- Valentine's Day ... including our Dunwoody Diner Vietnamese dinner adventure AND a special event for those living with dementia and their caregivers at Anchor Place
- Learning more about Ardy Bastien and why Rotary is important to him
- District Conference 2026 ... and why you want to register now.
This Week's Speakers
Buzz Law and Richard Raby, Creative Financial Group
Join Us This Friday at Maggiano's to welcome Honorary Dunwoody Rotarian Buzz Law, President & CEO of Creative Financial Group, with his annual review of the Rotary Club of Dunwoody Charitable Fund, along with Richard Raby, Portfolio Manager at Creative Financial Group, who will provide a Financial Markets Outlook.
Robert W. “Buzz” Law, a Certified Financial Planner™ since 1984, is President and Founder of Creative Financial Group Ltd., a premier planning firm in Atlanta where he counsels affluent individuals and their families on comprehensive financial, estate, investment, and tax planning matters. Creative Financial Group was founded in 1988 and operated independently until February 2001, when the firm became a subsidiary of Synovus Corporation. Creative Financial Group is a preferred provider of Executive Financial Planning services for several companies across the United States (including AT&T, Southern Company, CSX, Emory University, and others).
Richard Raby joined Creative Financial Group in 2000 and is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS®). He holds Series 7, 63 and 65 securities licenses through Synovus Securities. He is integral to the firm’s investment advisory and financial planning services, including trading. He helped build and automate a trading system to streamline the management of the exchange-traded fund strategy used by Creative Financial and has implemented multiple trading platforms for the firm.
[read more]
GRSP Leadership Weekend
The World Will Join Us in Just 10 Days!
Next weekend - January 30 - February 1, the Rotary Clubs of Dunwoody and Buckhead will welcome the GRSP Class of 2025-26 for the 25th annual GRSP Leadership Weekend - with help from the Rotary Club of Metro Atlanta and the Atlanta Rotaract Club. Thanks to all who have agreed to host students - it appears we have places for all 38 students! They come from all over the world - representing countries from across South America, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Far East.
Meredith Morris is looking for your board games for our Saturday night game night. Please bring them to Rotary this Friday or next Friday - be sure to mark your games so we get them back to you safe and sound.
We also need some assistance with various activities across the weekend. Contact Jackie Cuthbert at cuthbert@mindspring.com or 770-597-1183 if you can help with:
- Set-Up on Friday: late morning/early afternoon - we'll set the tables and chairs and get the snack tables ready to go!
- Registration: Greet the students and check them in for the weekend - Friday from 2-4 pm
- Rise Against Hunger: Friday afternoon, we will pack 10,000 meals to be distributed where needed in the world. We can use about 10 Rotarian volunteers to join our students - set up begins at 3 pm and meal packing takes place between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Participants are welcome to join the students for pizza afterward.
- Pizza Dinner Friday: We'll need someone to pick up pizzas at Costco at 6:15 on Friday night (they will be pre-ordered and prepaid) and deliver to Annex, and a few of people to help with food set-up and clean-up Friday.
- Daytime Saturday: Help with replenishing snack and beverage table; assist Alison with sandwich bar set up for lunch
- GRSP Olympics: Friday and Saturday - A few people to help set up games and act as scorekeepers
- Saturday Night Dinner and Game Night: Someone to pick up food from East 48th Street Market plus a few people to help with set-up and clean-up
- Clean Up on Sunday: We need a few people from 12:30 to 1:30 pm to help us clean up ... and possibly deliver extra food to a local fire station or shelter.
You are welcome to sit in on any part of our Saturday and Sunday sessions. Saturday's featured facilitator is Michael Sutton from the Rotary Club of Roswell, and Sunday's "Shark Tank" will be facilitated by the Rotaract Club of Atlanta - where students vie for $1,000 funding for the community service project they create.
District Conference - April 16-19
Register Now for All the Fun at Lake Lanier Islands - Prices Go Up February 1
Join the Rotary Club of Dunwoody at an unforgettable 2026 District Conference as we celebrate the incredible 2025-2026 Rotary Year under District Governor Steve! We’re excited to announce that we’re moving the conference to the beautiful Lake Lanier Islands Resort this year — offering a fresh, fun setting for fellowship, inspiration, and celebration. We can’t wait to see everyone there! Click here to register now before registration prices go up next month and book your rooms today!
Getting to Know You
Ardy Bastien: A Heart for Giving
If you’ve spent any time around the Rotary Club of Dunwoody, you know Villard "Ardy" Bastien as a pillar of service and leadership. A member since June 2011, Ardy’s journey into Rotary was a mix of childhood inspiration and a neighborly nudge.
Growing up, Ardy was born in NY but spent several years in the Caribbean. He remembers the "respectable adults" meeting down the street. At the time he didn't really know what those Rotarians were doing for the community, but they left a lasting impression. Fast forward to his adult life in Dunwoody: his neighbor, first mayor Ken Wright, invited him to a meeting of our club. After years of "work, work, work," Ardy realized it was time to give back. He stayed because he loved the people, the activities, and the ethics he wanted to model for his children. [read more]
Golf Tournament Update
Plan to Be Part of 2026 FORE! the Memories Golf Tournament
Here are five simple ways you can be in the middle of the action for the Rotary Club of Dunwoody's biggest fundraiser of the year - our annual FORE! the Memories Golf Tournament at St. Marlo Country Club on May 18, 2026.
- Volunteer to work at the tournament. Contact Alison Norris if you are interested!
- Be sure to pick up your Tournament Golf Hat at Check-In and grab your sleeve of Tournament Golf Balls along with a bottle of water on your assigned cart! All RCD volunteers will receive a tournament golf hat!
- Buy a $50 Ditty Bag at Check-In which includes entry to the $5,000 Putting Contest, 2 Mulligans, 2 Drink Coupons and a few special items from local businesses.
- Have a burger or hot dog after the tournament and enjoy complimentary beer and wine!
- Peruse the Auction Tables and bid on the items that interest you! The Auction Winners will be announced directly after the Tournament Awards Presentation. All Dunwody Rotarians are welcome to come for dinner and bid on auction items!
And even if you can't join us in person on May 18, you can donate auction items, help us identify sponsors, and make your own donation! Visit our website: FORE! the Memories – Rotary Club of Dunwoody Charity Golf Tournament! And share what you find with neighbors and friends who might like to support our efforts on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association, Anchor Place Respite Care, and other organizations in our community.
Anchor Place Respite
Harmony & Hearts Gathering: Valentine's Day 2026
We're excited to be hosting a free, fun community-wide event for people living with dementia and their caregivers on Valentine's Day from 11am-1pm in the St Pat's social hall (4755 North Peachtree Rd., Dunwoody). We have a delicious menu from E 48th St Market planned and our friends at Arosa Care Management have arranged for the band "Loose Shoes" to come play for us.
If you know a caregiver for a person living with dementia who would enjoy a free, fun Valentine's social event, please help us spread the word about the Harmony & Hearts Gathering. Registration can be done via anchorplace.org or directly via this link.
Dunwoody Diners
Join Us for a Valentine's Day Vietnamese Food Adventure!
The next Dunwoody Diners adventure features Vietnamese Food, as we gather on February 14 at Nam Phuong at 6:30 pm. We had a fabulous gathering there last year - with GRSP student Hoa Nguyen there to guide our food choices - and rumor has it that she will join us again this year.
The address is 4051 Buford Highway NE 30345. The phone number is 404-633-2400. Please RSVP by February 7 to Sherry Levy at sherrylevy13@hotmail.com. Please note that parking is at a premium, so please try to carpool with a fellow Rotarian. If you have any questions regarding transportation, please let Sherry know. Thank you very much.