Rotary Club of Grundy County

Come to the next Grundy County Rotary meeting to honor Rotarian of the Month Tania Curtis! She is dedicated, thorough, thoughtful, and extremely necessary to keep Rotary going! Thanks, Tania!

What a wonderful celebration for Presley Ratliff & Adrian Johnson (not present) for their VISTA service over the last year! Here's to another successful year for Presley in her 2nd VISTA term and Adrian on his next adventure!

What a wonderful celebration of VISTA achievements! Presley with SETHRA CASA and Adrian with BetterFi have truly made progress with their organizations! If you happen to see them, please extend a special thanks for all their dedication and devotion!

RiseUp! Grundy gave a wonderful presentation! You could feel the dedication and care from these two who have invested so much in our community.
Next week the planned speaker is Ty Watts from the Nashville Rotary. Come join us and enjoy a great meal!

Oakes & Oliver's Modern Mercantile

Y'all missed a great talk with Mandi Oakes of Oakes & Oliver Modern Mercantile. The store in Monteagle hosts local artists, antiques, home goods provided by 25 vendors and small businesses. Mandi and her husband moved from Chattanooga to Tracy City and started the store in 2020. They previously had one in Sewanee for a while. They are patroned by local people and a host of others from different states.
On December 3rd, they will have Santa at their store for photos and will also have hot chocolate and cookies for everyone. Stop on by!
16 Laurel Lake Drive, Monteagle.
http://oakesandolivers.antiquetrail.com/

Oakes & Oliver's Modern Mercantile Oakes & Oliver's Modern Mercantile

Join the Grundy County Rotary today for a special celebration of Howell Adam's contributions not only to Rotary, but to the entire Plateau!

Mike Feely gave a wonderful mini history lesson on Rotary and the roots of our Four Way Test:
First, is it the truth? Second, is it fair to all concerned? Third, will it build good will and better friendships? Fourth, will it be beneficial to all concerned?
The Four Way Test was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 as the foundation for helping a nearly bankrupted company turn around. Mr. Taylor later became president of Rotary International. The test worked so well in helping the company find its footing that Taylor introduced it to the Rotary Club. The Four Way Test was officially adopted by Rotary in 1943 and remains one of the most printed and quoted statements of business ethics.
Thanks, Mike! We hope to have you back soon!

Rotary Club of Grundy County updated their address.

Rotary Club of Grundy County updated their address.

WOW! What an interesting presentation from Bruno Durant at Silver Bait! Located in Coalmont, they occupy about 8 acres of buildings for their red worm farm. Starting in 2004, they expanded over the years. This includes 250 acres for corn farming to feed the worms, and their own concrete facility so they can be self-sustaining by doing their own construction. Because they have been in business since 1992, they know their customers and their business - they can guarantee delivery by 6 a.m. the next day for most orders. By using 60 tons of feed daily, this creates worm castings of 8-12 truckloads a week! And it doesn't go to "waste" ;) , the castings are sold and used in peat moss for gardening, among other things. Silver Bait also sells castings to locals by the pick-up load at wholesale prices. Bruno still conducts tours of the facility for groups not over 20 people, so give them a call and visit this incredibly successful Grundy County business! And, Bruno is always looking for new good employees!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063921255469&sk=about

Come enjoy some fun! We're having Bruno Durant of Silver Bait present tomorrow at Rotary, Dutch Maid Bakery, at noon. Lunch is served at 11:30 - as always it will be a wonderful meal with a spectacular dessert! Hope to see you there!

Alondra Ramirez of ZEAL spoke yesterday at Rotary - what an energetic, passionate speaker! She truly cares for what she does and wants to extend their services further into the plateau! Check out what she's about! As a result of Alondra’s service, the language and literacy skills of non-English-speaking parents and family members will be strengthened, which will in turn improve the academic performance of their children.
[email protected]

Grundy County Rotary Member of the Month Jim Waller - Jim is an integral member of Rotary without whom we would not be as successful with our programs! Thanks, Jim!

Through the Grundy County Rotary, VISTA Presley Ratliff heard of Sleep in Heavenly Peace and took it upon herself to take time out of her busy schedule and volunteer, yet again, for another worthy cause! Thanks, Presley! Way to go! :)

cctenn.org

Yesterday, Emily Partin of Catholic Charities presented information on the Old High School organizations, including Mental Health Services, Grundy Safe Communities Coalition, Job Placement Services, and Arts Inside. Her main focus, though, was on the housing crisis in Grundy County. Along with everything else Emily does, she is now trying to address this concern. You can contact her at https://cctenn.org/causes/family-resource-centers/tennessee-serves-neighbors/catholic-charities-grundy-county/if you have any concerns or questions. Take care all!

cctenn.org

Presley Ratliff, a plateau AmeriCorps VISTA, just finished helping Sleep in Heavenly Peace build many beds for local kids who have none! :) YAY Presley! Thanks for your commitment to the local community and your willingness to always be a part of change for the good! Thank you!

Come to Rotary and hear former foreign exchange student Leo Penne speak! And, as always, enjoy a great meal at Dutch Maid Bakery. :)

We talked about so much today! Here are a few highlights:
Cindy Day, Honorary Rotary Member of August, was awarded a gift card.
Andy Baggenstoss of Bigfoot Adventures highlighted his other business ventures along with what's available at Bigfoot.
We met the new Sequatchie Valley Headstart VISTA - Melanie Walters.
Growing Roots has seeds available for purchase for the last growing season in TN.
Grundy County Rotary will be partnering with Monteagle/Sewanee Rotary for an event.
Upcoming events include a September picnic and fundraisers.
Come next Tuesday to catch the latest! :)

RV Park and Campground - Bigfoot Adventure TN

Do you need a break from your every-day? Come to Dutch Maid at 11:30 and enjoy another wonderfully delicious meal and get updates from Andy Baggenstoss at Bigfoot Adventure!
https://www.bigfootadventuretn.com/

RV Park and Campground - Bigfoot Adventure TN With over 500 acres of land, Bigfoot Adventure has an RV park, campground, disc golf course, ziplines, trails, event center and more.

Rotarian of the Month - August 2022
Help us celebrate Cindy Day as this month's Rotarian of the Month! She has helped promote and support Rotary in so many ways!

Come on down to Dutch Maid Bakery tomorrow and hear David Brown, Rotary President, give an informative talk! Good food, good people...good times once again!

July 27th Jim Waller will be presenting at Rotary. As always, help us support our members, enjoy a wonderful meal at Dutch Maid Bakery, and spend time catching up on community events!

And a tip of the hat to the most recent VISTA group!

What a spectacular "meeting"! :) We honored three very important VISTAs today as they finished their 1st year of service. Lynn Borchert Morgan Hornsby Alondra Ramirez

Don't forget to join us tomorrow at 11:30 for lunch and our plateau VISTA farewell! Alondra, Lynn, and Morgan have completed 1 year of service to our community! Let's give them a proper adieu!

July 12, 2022, we learned of an opportunity to help our community:

Debbie Byrd announced a Bed Build (25 of them) on July 16, Saturday, from 8am - noon, for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Make sure to bring gloves and wear sunscreen! :)

And this is what the Rotary has been able to do recently for our community:
Sponsored a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for $100.

As always, find your passion and make a plan for it!

Help us celebrate our appreciate of Marianne Waller Rotarian of the Month! Marianne is our Club Attendance Secretary AND our Sergeant-at-Arms! Thank you for everything you do for the Rotary, Marianne!

See the Dutch Maid Bakery highlighted by News Channel 9 ABC in this article...
Keeping history alive: Tracy City bakery overcomes obstacles to celebrate 120 years!
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/keeping-history-alive-tracy-city-bakery-overcomes-obstacles-to-celebrate-120-years

Come one, come all! Another meeting at 11:30 with superb food at Dutch Maid Bakery and as always interesting, informational and fun conversation!

Today we were fortunate to have two organizations tell us about what they do.

1st - A Step Ahead, based out of Chattanooga, recently started a chapter in the area and the founder is actually from Marion County! Lissa Goetz and Rachel Endo explained their mission: to remove barriers to contraception through education, outreach and access to birth control. They focus on prevention and serve Grundy, Franklin and Marion counties. Grundy County has the 3rd highest unintended pregnancy rate in TN. Overall, they have provided free birth control to 5,540 women, and every $1 spent on prevention saves over $4 in unintended pregnancy health care costs. They provide educational training for youth and adults. To do this better they need volunteers, donors and if you would like them to speak to your group or at an event please contact Mandi Easterly, Regional Health Educator-Valley, at [email protected].

2nd - VISTA Morgan Hornsby gave a very moving presentation on her efforts with Arts Inside, a community-based, grassroots organization that provides art and education programs for incarcerated people and their families in rural middle TN. They use art for expression and connection to promote personal healing for its participants. They emphasize that everyone is valid, regardless of their past. Along with a beautiful collage made by one of their ladies, Morgan read a heartwarming poem written from personal life experiences. Each class is unique, with teachings in arts such as photography, painting or writing. Participants can sell art they create, which has been presented at art shows. They have hosted shows at the Grundy County Courthouse and Artisan’s Depot in Cowan, and will soon have more at Moonies and Stirling’s. Please visit www.artsinside.org/ for moving stories and colorful art to help support Arts Inside.

Susan Schnell, Director of It’s My Very Own, gave a wonderful, uplifting presentation today. IMVO focuses on helping children that have been removed from their homes by providing them with a handmade “bag of love” that have a homemade quilt, toys, a stuffed animal and book, and quite a few personal care products. The program was started in 2005 because of one woman’s experience with her own grandchildren. Today, they have over 100 chapters in 41 states, including two Canadian provinces. Locally, they recently started the “South Cumberland Plateau Chapter”. They are always accepting donations of the items listed and looking for volunteers to help in many capacities. To help in any way, please contact Susan at [email protected], or visit their webpage at .

The new Hunger Relieve VISTA, Maggie Willis, talked about her program to relieve hunger on the Plateau. Katie Goforth noted they are acknowledging the SCCF grants awarded to many local organizations on June 18th at 11 am at the Big Red Barn in Beersheba Springs. Finally, Lynn Borchert announced the one year anniversary of Easy’s Dog Shelter that will be celebrated this Friday from 1 - 3 pm with lower adoption fees all day.

Just a reminder for our weekly meeting tomorrow at Dutch Maid Bakery, 11:30 a.m.

There has been a change in speakers - we are excited to present Susan Schell of "My Very Own"! She is the International Director of a group of senior citizen women who hand-craft handbags for youth who has been removed from their homes. What a wonderful cause to support! Please come join us and help celebrate their efforts!

We look forward to seeing you! :)

Join us on June 14th to welcome Paul Scherell, a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 43. Sherrell is running for re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 43. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on August 4, 2022. If you have questions for Paul, come to Dutch Maid Bakery at 11:30 and enjoy lunch as well!

BetterFi

May 31st's speaker brought Spike @ BetterFi to us - it was a great presentation with very interesting info! BetterFi is a non-profit 501(c)(3) economic justice enterprise and certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). This means they provide affordable installment loans and complementary financial programming like coaching as a pathway out of debt traps and toward financial fitness.

And, BetterFi is in the process of being able to help you improve your credit score...did you know that with Payday loans, the payments you make are NOT reported on your credit score? Only when you MISS payments do they report it!

BetterFi provides financial coaching on budgets, goal setting, saving, debt, and many other topics. "ReFi with BetterFi"! https://www.betterfi.co/

BetterFi BetterFi - Affordable loans and financial coaching from a 501(c)(3) CDFI as an alternative to predatory lending in rural Tennessee.

Mobile Health Unit at Morton Memorial UMC in Monteagle on July 11th from 9am-11am!

Thank you to our Family Community Education (FCE) clubs and the Rotary Club of Grundy County for sponsoring these Little Libraries. There will be twelve locations throughout the county for families to enjoy.

PLEASE NOTE! Our Rotary Club will be canceling our regular meetings until we have weathered Covid-19!

Yesterday a few members of our Board met with the board of the Grundy County TN Food Bank to present them with their proceeds from last year's Hunger Walk. Thank you to Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary for involving us last year!

Wi******er Rotary hears about BetterFi

A few weeks ago our club President Spike Hosch visited the Wi******er Rotary to speak about his company! Thanks, Wi******er Rotary.

We will be meeting normally tomorrow at the Dutch Maid!

Wi******er Rotary hears about BetterFi Wi******er Rotary Club members learned about BetterFi during their recent meeting.

Consider taking a moment to share with SCCF what you see as priorities for community development on our Plateau!

Please fill out the survey for the next phase of SCCF's Community Conversations! Every Plateau community member is encouraged to complete this survey which is based on information collected at the two Community Conversations sessions held October 15th. Regardless of whether you were able to attend one of the sessions on the 15th, please click here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BVQK9D2 to fill out the survey. Don't miss your opportunity to have a voice in the future of the South Cumberland Plateau!