Rotary Club of Grundy County

Local author Joe Nunley spoke before Rotary Club of Grundy County on Tuesday. His book “Walk the Dark Hills” is historical fiction set in the bustling Tracy City of 1890s before convict labor was abolished. Published under the name J.B. Nunley, the book is available on Amazon - $7.99 for Kindle or $21 for paperback. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at Dutch Maid Bakery. Lunch is served at 11:30. Cost is $13 for nonmembers. Speaker presentation at noon.

Thanks to community donations and contributions from Ben Lomand, STRHS, and the Herald, we were able to supply essential baby items to 50 families this past Saturday. Thank you to our volunteers and community partners for their help! We definitely hope to expand for our next Community Baby Shower.

Dr. Clint Durley outlined the various challenges faced by school directors during a presentation before Rotary Club of Grundy County on Tuesday. Specifically, the difficulties of being head of Grundy County School System - a role that has produced more turnovers than Pillsbury. In 10 years, there have been 12 directors. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at Dutch Maid Bakery. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $13 for nonmembers. Speaker presentation at noon.

Grundy County Rotary’s Dinner with a Purpose was a booming success. Saturday evening’s event was held at the Big Red Barn and attracted approximately 100 individuals. Proceeds benefit an affordable housing effort by Mountain T.O.P., Communities in Schools, and South Cumberland Community Fund.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” That was the message conveyed by Friends of South Cumberland State Park Executive Director Dr. Ned Murray on Tuesday. He was guest speaker before Grundy County Rotary, an organization comprised of dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at Dutch Maid Bakery. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $13 for nonmembers. Speaker presentation at noon.

We still have a few tickets left for the fundraiser event this Saturday! Please contact us if interested. If you are unable to attend but would like to support this venture, you can still help with donations!

Dinner With A Purpose An event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Grundy County to raise funds to support the completion of the first new home build through the partnership of Grundy County High School, Mountain T.O.P, and the Housing Hub.

Updates from last Tuesday's get-together:
All new members of Rotary Club of Grundy County have the opportunity to stand up and talk about themselves. Join our little group of merry-makers and show us what you've got! :)
Community Wide Baby Shower – scheduled for June 1st at the Coalmont Community Center from 10-2. They will happily take donations for that. Flyers can be found at Dutch Maid Bakery.
The Library Bus (Grundy County Bookmobile) is wrapped and almost ready to go!
The Grundy Rotary Housing Hub fundraiser dinner will be on April 27. The fundraiser dinner will be held in Beersheba Springs. Leadership Grundy Class of 2024 will assist with food and serving for that event as part of their service project. Housing Hub now has a website…

Housing Hub | South Cumberland Plateau, TN A group of nonprofits created The Housing Hub to improve access to affordable and healthy housing in the South Cumberland region of Tennessee. This group serves as the hub of housing related resources: funding, education, and advocacy.

Kathy Hill spoke with us last week about the upcoming launch of the Grundy County Bookmobile, despite a slow start (process started before the pandemic), they’ve renovated the bus, gotten books and looking forward to getting it out there (date TBD).

Bookmobiles are the earliest form of library outreach, and they continue to evolve over the years. Many public libraries feature outreach services that help all community members access books and public information. However, did you know that there are also libraries that can come to you? These are known as bookmobiles, and they have a history that spans an entire century in the U.S. Whether it’s by van, bus, or horse, bookmobiles make sure every community has access to essential library services.

No speaker today for Rotary Club of Grundy County. It is our monthly assembly meeting. You can still come for lunch at the Dutch Maid Bakery! We start eating at 11:30am. Hope to see some new faces!

Theresia from the Grundy County TN Food Bank spoke to us about the challenges of feeding community members at our last event! We also received our reimbursement grant check for $1,000 from the Rotary District. On the left is Barb Dwyer, the assistant district governor (and the speaker at the upcoming April 9 meeting). On the right is Theresia Campbell of the GC Food Bank.
Come on out for the next one!

Applications for Rotary’s Peace Fellowship are now open! 🕊
Over 1,700 Rotary Peace Centers alumni are working in 140+ countries in roles ranging from leaders of grass-roots organizations to high-level positions with national governments.

Learn more about this this opportunity for the 2025-26 academic year: https://on.rotary.org/3kUYAKv

Another successful event with a surprise guest - Easy's Dog Shelter! They are in the process of building a Puppy Pit to house all the litters they are being asked to save. Over 45 puppies were received in a three week period over the holidays! As of today, there are 74 animals on the grounds with only three volunteers running the operation. In 2023, over 550 dogs were saved and adopted to good homes. The main things discussed were a need for volunteers and a spay/neuter program for the plateau. If you would like to volunteer or make a donation to Easy's, please email them at [email protected].
Jim Waller also has information on online voter registration for those interested. Please email [email protected] for more information.
Hope to see you at the next meeting on February 20th. There will be no meeting next week - Dutch Maid Bakery will be hosting a Valentine's Day Dinner.
Take care y'all!

Rotary is canceled tomorrow, January 23. Stay safe y'all!

What a great day! Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes, corn and warm rolls! Plus, Rev. Clark Taylor of Chattanooga Institute of Faith and Work gave a great talk about loving thy neighbor. To summarize, he wondered how you could follow this and not be vested in your job because there, you neighbors are your clients, your patients, your students, and your customers. Something to think on. :)
Join us next week for Rabbi Craig Lewis!

Representative Rush Bricken, TN House Member for Grundy County, spoke in December and discussed items important to our community, like the Miracle on the Mountain Park project, tourism, trails, and lodging. His priorities focus around what benefits the district and local citizens.

Come to Dutch Maid Bakery on January 9th for lunch and Rev. Clark Taylor of Chattanooga Institute of Faith and Work. Hope to see ya there!

Someone left a small Pea coat at Rotary. Please contact Dutch Maid Bakery and identify color to claim it. Thank you! 

Today we heard Rush Bricken, TN House Member for Grundy and Coffee Counties. He is in his first term representing us, and hoss third term as a state representative. Expectedly, tourism is a hot topic!
Of the approximately 1500 bills introduced annually, only 400-500 are passed. Rush's priorities are bills that will benefit our district.
Hope to see y'all January 9th!

Our next Rotary meeting will be January 9. Everyone stays safe and have happy holidays! 

Today we had Sophia Léon-Meza, Grundy County Health Council speaking (right) with a briefing from Beth Blevins, a Community Health Improvement Plan Coordinator.
Next week is our Assembly meeting and we have no meeting on the 12 (we are having our Rotary holiday party), but come on over the 19th for Rep. Rush Bricken, TN House Member for Grundy County!

Today we had the privilege of a very interesting and entertaining talk with Iva Michelle Russell of GCTV6. Come visit with us and Sofia Leon-Mesa of the Grundy County Health Council next week!

Rotary Club of Grundy County was able to participate in the Mountain T.O.P. Festival a few weeks ago. Rumor has it we gave away HALF of the books we brought (someone correct me if I'm wrong :)! What a great event! We cannot wait to be there next year!

Iva Michelle Russell with Grundy County Tourism will be presenting today! Come join the fun and enjoy great food at 11:30 this morning!

We have a fundraiser for our Community Service Projects, which include:
Blue Monarch
Easy's Dog Shelter
Elementary School Dictionary Program
Grundy County Food Bank
High School Scholarship
Mountain TOP Fall Festival
Imagination Library
Isaiah House 117
RYLA-Rotary Youth Leadership Award

Welcome, Lee Limbird, new Rotary member! 👋

What a day you missed! And we missed you! 🙂
Rotary Club of Grundy County will have a booth this Saturday at Mountain TOP's Fall Festival.
Dec. 2 is Cookie Decorating at Dutch Maid Bakery.
Carla Clay of the South Cumberland Chamber of Commerce spoke about everything they are trying to accomplish for the Plateau and the events they have coming up (see flyers-sorry some are the wrong direction!).
Hope to see you next time for Rotary Discussions on the upcoming Community Baby Shower!

We also learned a little more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace!

We know these days an hour and a half seems like a lot to spare. However, with Rotary, you not only get a delicious meal, but you also learn some thing about your community at every meeting! This week Patrick O'Hagan from Chattanooga State Community College-Kimball spoke. Hope to see you next week!