Our "make up" meeting, held on December 16th at Alpharetta City Hall was a great opportunity to reconnect with everyone after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Our lunch was catered by Never Enough Thyme and members seemed to enjoy the chicken piccata. 

President Erik began the meeting by giving an update on the situation with our regular meeting location, Brimstone. The restaurant was recently sold and is no longer going to be open for lunch. After subsequent meetings with members of the board and a face-to-face meeting with the new owner of Brimstone, we plan to continue meeting at Brimstone at this time. Although the restaurant won't be open for lunch, the new owner does want to continue our relationship and will have staff there for lunch during our twice a month meetings. 

Steve Cory led our Happy Dollars today and our members were in a giving mood! Doug Higgins started things off by announcing the exciting news that he will become a grandfather this summer - his daughter Ashley is expecting her first child!  Steve Siders shared some exciting professional news and James Marosek shared that he and his wife Van were able to travel to Vietnam. It was a very meaningful trip for both of them. In total, we raised $345 in Happy Dollars and this is going to the Children's Development Academy (CDA).

Member Andy West "graduated" to his white badge! We certainly appreciate the way Andy quietly and steadfastly serves our club and community, from the significant time spent on our CPR/AED project to the many hours he spent painstakingly revitalizing our Peace Pole at North Park. 

Foundation Chair Doug Higgins gave out some meaningful recognitions. President Erik is now a Paul Harris Fellow +3, and Dan Jenkins is a Paul Harris Fellow + 1. Doug also reminded everyone that points can be used to bestow Paul Harris Fellow status on a member and he did this by donating his own points so that two of our members, Steve Cory and Marc Gelber, could become Paul Harris Fellows. Doug was moved to do this based on Steve and Marc's work on our CPR/AED program and because he lost both of his parents to heart disease. It certainly was very impactful! 

We also had some club business to conduct, namely, voting on our 2026-2027 board and the financial report. Surprising no one, everyone on the ballot was approved for the 2026-2027 board! 

2026-2027 Board for Rotary Club of North Fulton:

President: Dan Jenkins

President Elect: Jonathan Stelling

Treasurer: Erik Bykat

Secretary: Steve Siders

Community Service: Amie Blanton

Membership: Jeff Esterkes

Public Image: Lisa Gelber

Foundation: Doug Higgins

Fundraising: Rick Clark

Interact/Youth: Joy Manbeck

Companion Club Chair: Staci Sanders

Finally, our Treasurer, Mike Mudd, gave a report on the state of our club's finances. There was quite a bit of detail shared, but in short, the financial status of the club is very good. Thank you for such a comprehensive report, Mike! Please reach out to Mike if you have any questions.