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
On Thursday, August 4th, join Rotaract for a luncheon featuring John Croyle, the Founder and Executive Director of the Big Oak Ranch. Click here to learn more on John Croyle and watch a video.
January 19th - Walt Maddox
Join Rotaract for a luncheon meeting on Wednesday, September 14th featuring Kalyan Banerjee, the Rotary International President. Please note this luncheon will take the place of our regularly scheduled September 15th luncheon. This is a members only event. 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
*Reminder to pay your dues. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact John Smola (jsmola@southernco.com)
IMPORTANT DATES 9/1 Luncheon with John Croyle
9/13 Happy Hour at Dram
9/14 Joint Luncheon with Rotary
9/20 Butler's Grooming Social
9/21 St. Martin's in the Pines
9/22 Harbert Center 25th Ann. Dinner
9/24 September Service Project
9/27 Professional Development Series
9/29 Teach for America Reception
DOWNTOWN ROTARY LUNCHEONS 9/7 Dr. William H. Thomas
9/14 RI President Kalyan Banerjee
*Rotaractors are always welcome, but must bring $14.00 to cover the cost of lunch.
FEATURE ROTARY CLUB OF THE MONTH Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club meets weekly at the Harbert Center from 7a-8a. The Sunrise Rotary Club recently applied for a District grant that if approved, will provide $2,500 in books for Ready 2 Read.
www.bhamsunrise.org
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 Run Rotaract
January 11-16th - Rotaract Ski Trip
This year plan on heading to Breckenridge, CO for the Rotaract Ski Trip. Stay tuned for more information.
PHOTO GALLERY Rotaract welcomes its newest members!
The Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation check presentation to it's strategic partner, Better Basics.
