January 2012 Rotaractor's shopping for our Salvation Army Angels
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends! It is hard to believe another new year is upon us. The New Year brings a very exciting and important time for our club as we will soon see the next wave of leaders emerge in our club. I would sincerely encourage all of you to take part in the nomination process, whether by running for a board position yourself or nominating a fellow member that would make a great leader. I cannot stress enough what a wonderful opportunity it is to serve on this club’s Board! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to me or any other current or past board member.
With that being said, our current Board is still very excited about the next 6 months and we have a lot left to accomplish before relinquishing our term. As a preview of things to come, please be on the lookout for our club’s new website, the grandest YP event in March: Masquerade Ball, new club promotional video and a fantastic signature out-of-town speaker.
We have a lot to look forward to but just remember it is YOU that makes this club unique and special. If you have not been able to come to a meeting the past few months for work or other reasons, please mark your calendar now and make the commitment to try and attend at least one meeting and event in January, you will not regret it!
Look forward to seeing you all soon!
Andrew Case
Rotaract President MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Name: Michael McHugh Hometown: Mobile, AL Career: Facilities Estimator with Brasfield & Gorrie Education: Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Construction Management and Minor in Business Administration Favorite childhood book: Goodnight Moon & Little Bear (Thanks Mom for the reminder) Dogs or Cats: Man's best friend...dogs A movie that chokes you up: Remember the Titans & The Blindside both get me Favorite TV show: Close between Dexter & Entourage but I will give the nod to Dexter Beach or Mountains: Younger I favored the beach but now that I am older the mountains are hard to beat A cause I’m passionate about: Green Building & Sustainability in the southeast region. Birmingham is in a unique position geographically to take advantage of the opportunity similar to what is being witnessed in Charlotte. Favorite Birmingham “date spot”: I really do not have a number 1 but a few come to mind. Dram, Bottega, Dodiyos, La Paz Something you don’t know about me: I am the oldest cousin on my mom’s side and had 1 uncle play football and 1 uncle play baseball for LSU.
LEARN January 5th - Luncheon with Luther Strange
Join Rotaract for a luncheon meeting on Thursday, January 5th featuring Attorney General Luther Strange. Luther will speak to our club about his career, state politics and the impacts of the new immigration law.
January 19th - Walt Maddox
Join Rotaract for a luncheon meeting on Thursday, January 19th featuring Walt Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa. Walt will speak to our club about his career, the city of Tuscaloosa and the impact of the April 2011 Tornados.
Rotaract meets on the first and third Thursdays at the Harbert Center located in downtown Birmingham. Lunch starts at 11:45 a.m. and meetings begin promptly at noon. Lunch is free for members and $10 for guests. A limited number of recruitment spots are available. If you wish to bring a potential member, please email bhamrotaract.membership@gmail.com.
SOCIALIZE January 10th - Happy Hour at Vino
Join your fellow Rotaractor's for cocktails and conversation at Rotaract's monthly happy hour hosted at Vino in Mountain Brook Village. Guests and potential members are encouraged to attend. Please register online to let us know if you can make it. SERVE January 18th - St. Martin's in the Pines
The elderly population is often under served and overlooked. The Rotaract Club volunteers every month at St. Martin's in the Pines, a comprehensive retirement community. Rotaractors spend time interacting with residents of the Assisted Living facility. Activities include, but are not limited to, playing card games, reading and computer tutorials, and Wii bowling! Remember to register online to participate.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 1/3 Ben Buchanan
1/4 Adam Seale
1/4 Adrian Lesperance
1/6 Zack Bennett 1/7 Caitlin Glass
1/7 Kimberly Jackson
1/10 Brandon Wilson
1/10 Lindsay Gill
1/12 Meredith Lee
1/15 Nigel Weatherspoon
1/16 Payne Baker Jr.
1/16 Charles Brammer Jr.
1/17 Jonathan Bowman
1/19 Laura Montgomery
1/20 Stevie Sandstead
1/22 Patricia Mattison Craft
1/24 Anna Catherine Roberson
1/24 Mary Elizabeth Roberson
1/24 Amy Uffinger
1/25 Will McComb
1/27 Ashley Peinhardt
1/31 Sarah Peinhardt
FINANCIAL UPDATES Dues Invoicing Date Change Notice: How is the new financial invoicing schedule affecting you? Find out here.
Gala Tickets: With the Gala coming up on March 24th, we want to remind every member of their requirement to purchase two tickets at $50 / ticket. Please be on the lookout for your Gala invoices the first of January. If you are unable to attend the gala, you may sell your tickets to a non-member or take a tax deduction for the value of the tickets if they are not used. Please contact the Treasurer, John Smola, if you need any more information or have any questions. Thank you for your support of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation.
Dues: Remember to pay your dues. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact John Smola (jsmola@southernco.com)
IMPORTANT DATES 1/5 Luncheon with Luther Strange
1/10 Happy Hour at Vino
1/11-16 Rotaract Ski Trip
1/18 St. Martin's in the Pines
1/19 Luncheon with Walt Maddox 2/1 Membership Applications Due
DOWNTOWN ROTARY LUNCHEONS 1/4 John Carter - SWISH
1/11 Mike Hubbard - Alabama Speaker of the House
1/18 Joyce Vance - US Attorney Northern District of Alabama
*Rotaractors are always welcome, but must bring $14.00 to cover the cost of lunch.
MEMBER NEWS Jeris Burns delivered twin boys Hayes and Graham.
Ashley Reitz Peinhardt and Jon Macklem were elected to the Executive Committee for the YLS (Young Lawyers Section) of the Birmingham Bar Association.
Send member news to: rotaractnewsletter@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENTS January 11-16th - Rotaract Ski Trip
This year plan on heading to Breckenridge, CO for the Rotaract Ski Trip.
Run Rotaract
Keep checking the web for the lastest running schedule and Run Rotaract apparel. Discounted Red Nose Run Tickets available - use code RNR$5OFF at check out.
March 24th - Masquerade Ball Get ready to don masks, tuxedos and formal gowns for our annual Masquerade Ball. The glitzy black tie event will take place at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center with live music from "The Expandables".
ANNOUNCEMENTS Board of Director Nomination Open Nominations will be accepted through Friday, Jan. 20th. Click here to nominate yourself or fellow Rotaractor. As a reminder, this upcoming Board will serve from July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013. Interviews will be held during the month of February, with final Club approval of the slate in March, which will allow for a three-month transition period for the new Board to plan for the upcoming year.
In accordance with the Rotaract motto of learn, socialize, and serve, we as a club are introducing the inaugural Mentor Birmingham Award. The spirit of this award is similar to the spirit of our club, promoting the well-being of the community and others in our community over ourselves. We are asking our club members to nominate members of the business community who have taken time to mentor young business professionals in the community. Submissions must be received between January 5th and February 2nd. More information about this award will be coming in January. If you have any questions please contact Laura James at laura.james09@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your mentor story!
Project ONE BHM:
A Community Engagement & Improvement Initiative
On a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = limited and 5 = expert), how would you rate your knowledge of Collegeville, East Lake, West End, East Avondale, Pratt City, East Birmingham, Norwood, or Ensley? If you’re not an expert, Project ONE BHM aims to lead you to the expert level. Project ONE BHM is one of Rotaract’s newest initiatives with a mission to connect our membership to some of the city’s neighborhoods through developing strong relationships with community leaders, attending neighborhood meetings, and participating in community service projects. We plan to work together with the key leaders of these neighborhoods to learn about their community and its needs, expose their community to the Birmingham YP community, and build bridges that will help all of us move our city forward.
For more information on joining the team, please contact Kevin Garrison at 205-250-8333 or kgarrison@bakerdonelson.com.
PHOTO GALLERY St. Martin's in the Pines Holiday Party
Unofficial Tacky Christmas Party
January 5th - Luncheon with Luther Strange
January 19th - Walt Maddox
January 10th - Happy Hour at Vino
