Projects
9/11 Memorial Flags
North Fulton Rotary showed up to help plant flags and provided Chick fil a breakfast sandwiches to the Milton First Responders who were leading the student groups of Milton High School as they set up a flag for each person who died as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Attendance Incentive for Holcomb Bridge Middle
Holcomb Bridge Middle School is a Title 1 School that was faced with an attendance problem. Upon learning of one way the school was trying to address chronic absenteeism, Rotary Club of North Fulton provided a set of $10 gift cards that school counselors could use as a reward for improved attendance to select students. The baseline chronically absent was at 20% for the 2022/23 school year. After the implementation of attendance improvement protocols, including these $10 gift cards incentives, the chronically absent percentage dropped to 12% for semester 1!
August Family of Rotary
Rotary Club of North Fulton gathered at the home of one of our members on a beautiful August evening to celebrate fellowship through service. Members each contributed food items and several prospective members attended the event as well.
Birthday Box Books for Children's Development Academy
Rotary Club of North Fulton provides books for Children's Development Academy, a non-profit preschool that provides a high quality preschool education for students who may not otherwise be able to attend preschool. Each guest speaker at our lunch meetings autographs a book with a child appropriate version of the 4-way test and these books are donated to the CDA in their honor.
Blessings in a Backpack Food Packing
Rotary Club of North Fulton organized a food packing event for Blessings in a Backpack to provide food to be sent home with hungry children on the weekends. Students who receive free breakfast and lunch at school are often hungry on the weekends, so Blessings in a Backpack works with a number of civic organizations and corporate volunteers to help bridge that gap in food. Rotary Club of North Fulton purchased necessary food items to fill 50 bags for elementary students to take home on weekends after a meeting in July 2023. In fact District Governor Andre' Marria and her husband, Walter, were on hand to assist with this project! In addition to the food, a positive affirmation was included to encourage the students.
Books for Blessings in a Backpack
North Fulton Rotary provided over 100 books for the Blessings in a Backpack winter break bags so needy students would have books to read over their winter school break. It is critical for students to read during school breaks so they retain their literacy levels and the students are excited to have several new books to read while they are away from school.
Coat Drive for North Fulton Community Charities
Rotary Club of North Fulton held a coat (and other warm clothing) drive for North Fulton Community Charities prior to Thanksgiving. Members were encouraged to donate used and new items for people of all ages.
Family of Rotary Chili Cook Off with Satellite Club
Rotary Club of North Fulton scheduled a Chili Cook Off with the newly formed Satellite Club for March 15, 2024, to see which club has the best chili. This is a Family of Rotary event so that Rotarians (and their spouses/partners) can get to know each other better given our recent surge in membership.
Family of Rotary Holiday Party
Rotary Club of North Fulton gathered in December to celebrate a successful two quarters of service and to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Members brought their spouses and new members and prospective members attended as well, affording everyone a chance to get to know each other better.
Habitat for Humanity Work Day
Rotary Club of North Fulton supported the Holy Innocents Episcopal School's Habitat chapter by making a financial contribution toward their efforts to fund a home for a single mother and her two daughters. In addition to providing funds, Rotary Club of North Fulton sent a team of volunteers on one of the build days, where they were primarily engaged in painting the exterior. Because of the passion and dedication of the students at Holy Innocents Episcopal School, a well-deserving family now has a brand new home where two little girls will get to grow and thrive.
Literacy Night at Children's Development Academy
Rotary Club of North Fulton is hosting a Literacy Night at Children's Development Academy on March 21st which entails providing and serving dinner to the families of the children who attend CDA, providing them with a literacy-based activity, as well as entertainment for the evening. This evening is a wonderful chance for the families to spend time together and for the parents to gain an understanding of the importance of reading to their children.
Miss Mary's Ice Cream Social
North Fulton Rotary supported The Drake House in their mission to provide housing, food and educational support to single mothers by making and serving homemade ice cream to serve at their annual Miss Mary's Ice Cream Social. Rotarians provided a wide variety of ice cream flavors including, Cherries Jubilee, Cookies and Cream, Fuzzy Navel, Key Lime Pie, Peanut Butter Passion, Banana and Peach. It was a very hot day in 2023, but our Rotarians braved the extreme temperatures for this worthy cause.
NFCC Toy Drive
North Fulton Rotary organized a toy drive for North Fulton Community Charities and collected toys, gift cards, and books for NFCC's Santa Shop. The club collected over 150 individual items as well as gift cards!
North Fulton Interfaith Prayer Breakfast
When Rotary Club of North Fulton was founded in 2000, founding members decided on an Interfaith Prayer Breakfast as the signature community service event. This event brings together many different Rotarians, community leaders and others from the North Fulton community to hear about the importance of prayer from the perspective of different religious leaders. It is truly a peaceful and uplifting way to begin the day.
North Fulton Rotary Supports Little Free Libraries
North Fulton Rotary has three Rotary-themed Little Free Libraries in the North Fulton Community and supports an additional five Little Free Libraries with book donations throughout the year. (A member of the club is the official Steward for the Little Free Libraries in Alpharetta City Parks.) These libraries encourage reading and a sense of community and North Fulton Rotary uses money from the District Grant to fund this literacy initiative.
Polar Plunge 2024
On Saturday, February 3, 2024, the remaining founding member of Rotary Club of North Fulton, Richard Matherly, took a polar plunge to raise money so Rotary Club of North Fulton could continue supporting the worthy organizations in our community. Fundraising was done via social media, e-mail, text and personal phone calls, with everyone in the club tasked with tapping their networks to raise funds. One member even turned her personal vehicle into a mobile fundraiser! On the day of the actual fundraiser, members of the club showed up to support Richard as he took the plunge for our club, followed by some pizza and fellowship.
Reflection Garden Work Day
Every spring, Rotary Club of North Fulton has a work day at their Reflection Garden at North Park to tidy up the area, install new mulch and bushes as needed. This year, our hope is to include the Cambridge Interact Club in our work day to expose them to more information about Rotary.
Rise Against Hunger with Cambridge Interact
Rotary Club of North Fulton partnered with Cambridge Interact Club to pack 5000 meals that will be sent to areas of natural disaster with food insecurity. Rotarians, Interactors and First Responders from Milton, GA, gathered together to make this event a success on April 19, 2024.
Rotary Club of North Fulton Brings Art to the Greenway
School Supplies for Holcomb Bridge Middle School
North Fulton Rotary donated the most needed school supplies of binders, dividers, pencil pouches, highlighters, pencils and earbuds to Holcomb Bridge Middle School, a Title 1 school. These supplies help many students get off to the right start at the beginning of the school year and are very much appreciated by the staff and students. We also included words of affirmation in each pencil pouch to encourage the students to get off to the best start for their school year.
September Family of Rotary
Rotary Club of North Fulton hosted a Family of Rotary event on a perfect fall evening. A good time was had by current and prospective members!
Take Out Art Kits
Rotary Club of North Fulton partnered with a local non-profit, ArtsAlpharetta, to create nearly 500 Take Out Art Kits for elementary students in North Fulton. Did you know that art helps children express their emotions? This is critical with younger children who may not have adequate vocabulary to work out their feelings. This project is funded by a competitive grant awarded by Rotary District 6900 and has positively impacted the mental health of hundreds of elementary students in need.
Treasure Hunt at Children's Development Academy
Members of Rotary Club of North Fulton planned a Treasure Hunt for the Preschool and PreK students at Children's Development Academy, a non-profit preschool that provides a high quality education to children who may not otherwise get any education before entering kindergarten. Six Rotarians volunteered to hide 300 "treasures" on the outside playground on a beautiful day in September so the children could have fun finding one of three different treasures (a squeeze ball, play dough and an art sketch book. After the treasure hunting concluded, Rotarians enjoyed a delicious lunch with the students. These events are true highlights for these students and are a great way to reinforce following directions and showing gratitude.
Valentine Bingo and Lunch at Milton Senior Center
In an effort to bring joy and fun into the lives of local
senior citizens, Rotary Club of North Fulton hosted a Valentine's Day party at
the Milton Senior Center on February 6, 2024. Rotarians led the seniors in an
hour of bingo playing, complete with prizes they were eager to select.
Following the bingo games, Rotarians served a delicious Italian lunch of baked
ziti, meatballs, salad and cannoli. A fun time was had by all and the seniors
seemed so appreciative of receiving this special attention!