President Victoria welcomed members to a Club Assembly focused on current projects, upcoming events, and membership development.
Billboard Opportunity – Immediate Past President Jared Evans Immediate Past President Jared Evans shared details of a significant marketing opportunity for AWER. The club’s application for a grant of free electronic billboard advertising space has advanced to the final round. If selected, AWER’s design will be displayed through the end of August on a massive 30-by-129-foot digital billboard at The Center Atlanta (formerly CNN Center), visible to approximately 12 million annual visitors. The design includes the Rotary logo, club name, website, and the slogan “People of Action” with themes of Purpose, Community, and Leadership. Final submission is due August 13. This represents a significant opportunity to increase the club’s visibility in downtown Atlanta at no cost to the organization.
Reading at M. Agnes Jones Elementary – Ms. Rose Caplan announced the continuation of AWER’s relationship with M. Agnes Jones Elementary School. Reading opportunities will be arranged for AWER volunteers by Ms. Lisa Colbert, formerly the school’s point person for the science garden, to which AWER has contributed. Rose will outline the details of this service opportunity after meeting with Lisa.
Peace Poles – Co-President-Elect Debra Stokes is leading another important AWER opportunity to promote Rotary International’s core principles of peace and understanding. The 7-foot-high Peace Pole promotes peace with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four different languages, one on each side. AWER is seeking to purchase two Peace Poles — one for installation on the Atlanta Technical College Foundation property and another possibly along the West Side Trail of the Beltline or in a city park. This will require partnering with city and community leaders. Fortunately, honorary members of the club include several city councilmembers.
AWER Memberships – The club is exploring organizational memberships to allow institutions or couples to join under a single membership. Georgia Tech and Spelman College were noted as potential partners, with Neil Shorthouse coordinating outreach to Georgia Tech.
Administrative Matters – The club discussed several administrative items, including the need for AWER members to take turns setting up the Zoom and Owl camera equipment for hybrid meetings. The equipment will be stored at Georgia Tech’s business office rather than having one person transport it each week. The club is also working to better organize and preserve historical documents and artifacts, which are currently stored across multiple Google Drive accounts. Members suggested consolidating these into a single, well-organized system.
Finally, President Victoria noted that a new member installation will take place at Atlanta Technical College during the August 29, 2025 meeting.
Actionable Next Steps:
Submit final billboard design by Wednesday, August 13, at 11:59 PM
Begin planning for Peace Pole installation, including location selection and design
Research organizational membership structures from other Rotary clubs
Coordinate with Georgia Tech business office about storing meeting equipment
Reach out to Georgia Tech contacts regarding potential organizational membership
Coordinate with Lisa Colbert about the M. Agnes Jones reading program
Neil Shorthouse, KeyWay Reporter