Chattanooga Town Talk

"Individuality lies at the root of all progress."

-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

HEARD ON THE TOWN

LAURIE SHIPLEY, president-elect of Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary Club, completed Rotary's recent three-day Presidents-Elect Training Seminar in Nashville. The event is a multi-state training session of Rotary districts in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The event includes guest speakers, roundtables, discussion groups, district training sessions, fellowship and networking.

"The basic purpose is to have the best prepared, most enthusiastic club presidents in the Rotary world," Thomas B. Ashford said in a news release "Annually, over 400 presidents-elect return home prepared to carry out their Rotary duties when they take office in July."

Rotary is a volunteer organization with more than 33,000 clubs in 200 countries. Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary Club furnishes technology equipment, character training, library books, dictionaries and more to four local elementary schools. Money for supplies is earned through fundraising.

Rotary's top priority is eradication of polio, a crippling and potentially fatal disease that threatens children in Africa and Asia, the information reported. To date, Rotarians worldwide have contributed more than $1 billion to the effort.

In 1988, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined Rotary to lead the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. In 2007, the Gates Foundation gave Rotary a $100 million challenge grant for polio eradication, increasing it to $355 million in 2009. Rotary agreed to raise $200 million in matching funds by June 30 of this year.

Founded in Chicago in 1905, Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace in the world, the information noted.

FUNDRAISER

THE 15TH ANNUAL AMUSEUM, Creative Discovery Museum's largest annual fundraiser, earned $135,000 for museum events, exhibits and outreach programs, said Carrie Fitzsimmons, public relations coordinator.

This year's theme was "A Cat in the Hat," Fitzsimmons said.

Leonora Williamson and Taylor Monen chaired the event, with Gina Mitch, Maggie and Alex Estes, Tenley Mayfield, Mary Catherine Robbins and Mariah Mayfield serving on the fundraiser committee.

Among those attending were Creative Discovery Museum executive director Henry Schulson and wife Rachel, Keith and Curtis Campbell, Dino and Paula Xoinis and Dr. Kyle and Meghan Scanlon Roach.

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