The Rotary Club of Kernersville, NC

Doug Copeland - On December 7, Publisher of The Business Journal reviewed business conditions in the triad and commented on how it would be much better for us if we could all move toward thinking of "the triad" as a "location" instead of thinking Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Kernersville, etc. He also talked of the severe job losses in the triad and how we might deal with those problems.

On November 30, our annual "Roundball Preview" occurred. Basketball coaches from East Forsyth & Glenn High Schools spoke about the upcoming year. Coach Reavis (Glenn) and Coach Reynolds (East) both were optimistic about their chances and complementary of their student athletes.

Stuart Fountain, Rotary Foundation Chairman for District 7690 and Past District Governor spoke to our club on November 16, regarding the Rotary Foundation. His talk included the origins of the foundation, how $100 Million per year are used and how 1200 Ambassador Scholars and over 500 Group Study Exchange Participants spread the work of Rotary. Also in attendance were Phil Morris (DG) and Mitzi Ellis (DG Elect)

On November 9th, Jeff Owens of The Owens Report, gave us a full run-down on the upcoming ACC basketball season. His predictions included Duke, B.C. and Wake Forest at the top and Clemson, FSU and UVA at the bottom. Some of the star players to look for are J.J. Redick & Sheldon Williams from Duke, Craig Smith from BC and Eric Williams from Wake Forest.

Dr. Harold Martin, Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University spoke to our club on November 2nd. Dr. Martin outlined the many diverse programs at WSSU, both current and those that will be necessary for the future. He also showed and discussed the growth plans for PTRP (Piedmont Triad Research Park) and how this will encompass the area around WSSU. Also shown to us were plans for athletic fields and facilities which are for the school's entrance into Division I status this next year.

Brent McKinney, executive director of the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, spoke to us on October 19th. He discussed the advantages of a rapid transit system and some major concerns for our area if we did not move forward.

On October 12, Marc Shaefer, President/CEO of Truliant FCU spoke to our club about the virtues of credit unions and the many benefits that they offer to their members.

Pam Ray was able to attend the Rotary Meeting in Faisalabad, Pakistan and exchange banners. There were about 80 men and herself. The Faisalabad club has sponsored approximately 100 surgeries for children suffering from cleft palates. Pam was told that they can do each child for around $100 US dollars. This project was outlined in a Monthly Rotary magazine for Pakistan and Afghanistan. She will try to visit a school and hospital if time allows. The earthquake did not affect the city of Faisalabad, although the devastation around Islamabad was unbelievable.

On October 5, Kernersville Police Chief Neil Stockton spoke to our club and explained the complexity of what truly happens during a crime scene investigation and the subsequent investigation. What you see on TV is not what happens in the real world. Chief Stockton informed us about the progress of the recent murder case and graffiti incidents and how they impact our community. "Getting peace back into the community" is his goal when tragedy occurs.

On September 28, Rotaract & Interact representatives were introduced to our club. Interact is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young people ages 14-18 and gives young people an opportunity to participate in service projects while developing leadership skills. Rotaract is also a Rotary-sponsored service club, but is for ages 18-30. These are true "partners in service" and key members of the Rotary family.

On September 21, Steele Smith who is the 7690 CART (Coins for Alzheimer's Research Trust) Chairman spoke to our club. The Rotary clubs in the states of Georgia and the two Carolinas as well as a number of individual clubs throughout the United States, established in 1996 this funding program to encourage exploratory and developmental research projects.

On September 14, Jeff Taylor and Jim Bland explained the Kernersville Foundation to our meeting. The Mission of the Kernersville Foundation is to provide Financial assistance to nonprofit organizations that serve the Kernersville Community. The Kernersville Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that was founded in March 1999, by a grant from the Rotary Club of Kernersville. All contributions to the Kernersville Foundation are tax-deductible.

August 31 was our annual "Pigskin Preview" where the head football coaches from East & Glenn gave us a competitive look at Friday night's game. Coach Cline (left side of both pictures) and Coach Willert (right side) are great friends even though they are arch rivals. (Extra picture)

August 23rd was our annual Open House. Darrell Walker, Membership Chairman, presented a PowerPoint presentation showing all of our past presidents and the various service projects that Kernersville Rotary operates. They include Interact, the Kernersville Foundation, Cash Elementary School, 4th of July Race & Parade, Pancake Supper, RYLA, various scholarship programs. All of which continue our motto of, "Service Above Self". Darrell Walker was presented a district wide plaque for "Highest Growth Rate" in 7690, "Highest % Growth Rate" in 7690 and "Most New Members".

On August17th, Kendra Penry explained this past years adventure as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Kendra studied Spanish and taught English to underpriveledged children. Her experience seemed a bit unusual, but she felt it was worthwhile. As a 2004 graduate of Hollins University, Kendra's will be taking a position with Americorps in Denver.

On August 10th, Rotary 7690 District Governor, Phil Morris, visited our club and spoke about how "Rotary is a Window to the World". Assistant District Governor - Chuck Houska, Past District Governor - Stewart Fountain and Phil's wife, Karen, were also present. Various awards were presented to the Rotary Club of Kernersville including, "100% Sustaining Club", "Presidential Citation", "Gold Club" Awards for the last 6 years, "Centennial Community Project", "Highest Growth Rate" in 7690, "Highest % Growth Rate" in 7690, "Highest Retention Rate" and "Most New Members".

On July 27th, Dr. Gary Green President of Forsyth Technical Community College spoke. Dr. Green emphasized the increased numbers of students in the last 4 years, as well as the diverse demographics of these same students. He discussed the various programs offered including the traditional nursing, automotive and construction trade, as well as programs such as architectural design, biotechnology, nano technology, logistics and supply chain technology. Forsyth Tech also has worked closely with such companies as Reynolds, Dell, FedEx, APL and GazProm.

Rotary Youth Leadership Academy is a week long program for high achieving students that are selected by their schools. We usually have ten students each from Glenn and East. This is the ninth year that our club has conducted the program. The program is based on the Leadership Kernersville program and the students go through a very similar program.
Carey Stewart, a member of the Rotaract Club at NC State,
made a short presentation to our club about the Gold Club program.

On July 3th, Scott Bauer, Chairman of Southern Community Bank spoke at our breakfast. SCB started back in 1996 with 13 employees and had the 3 part philosophy of ... People ... Service ... Quality, which still holds true. SCB focuses on small - medium sized businesses as well as the community development. SCB now has some 13 branches and over 110 employees.

On July 6th, US Representative Virginia Foxx spoke at our patriotic breakfast. She stated that most Americans simply want to left alone to enjoy the simple life, including parades, fireworks, but there are many people that want to destroy our American way of life. Ms. Foxx described some of her accomplishments in the 109th Congress including the "Hero Bill" to financially assist our troops and the "Robo Cop Bill" which is similar to the Do Not Call list, but for political phone calls.

July 4th Parade and 5K Race - The 10th annual Kernersville Rotary Club 4th of July 5k Run was held on Monday, July 4, 2005. 277 runners participated.