Richmond Hill Exchange Club
October 2, 2008 P O Box 967, Richmond Hill, GA 31324
Upcoming Programs
Oct. 8: Vernon Rushing will present a program on Fire Safety - October is Fire Safety Month.
Oct. 22: Students of the Month for September and October - Also a program on "What is Exchange All About"
Nov. 12: One Nation Under God Program - An annual event
Our President-Elect, Brad Brookshire is going to need help in arranging and scheduling interesting programs for our meetings for this year. Please contact Brad with ideas for programs at 756-4444 or brad.brookshire@bryanbank.com.
Our Newest Members
Welcome to our newest members:
Trisha Durkin - The Heritage Bank
Linda Phillips - City of Richmond Hill
David Everett - Publix
Barry Hall - SPM Group, LTD
Our new members will be inducted into the club at our meeting on October 22.
10th Annual Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival
The Exchange Club has participated in the Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival each year since it began in 1998. The club also participated annually in the original Richmond Hill Seafood Festival, which ran from 1985 to 1989. Operating a food booth each October in the Seafood Festival provides much-needed funds to run our various community service projects, and also is a fun time for all members who participate. Over the years we served Shrimp Gravy, which was always a big hit. Beginning in 2003, we have served Jambalaya and Crab Stew, both of which have been crowd favorites. The 2007 Seafood Festival was a banner year for our club, and as a result we have been able to continue and expand our community service programs. Thanks to all the hard work of our members and friends, last year was our most successful year yet, and with the help of everyone, we are all looking forward to October 17-19, 2008. Please mark your calendars and make plans to come and help out.
Some of Our Community Service Activities
Students of the Month - Recognized Monthly from September through April - $100 savings bond.
Student of the Year - Chosen from among our Students of the Month and $500 scholarship awarded at RHHS Honors Night, and our Student of the Year and his parents are invited to our meeting on May 28 as well. Our Student of the Year for 2007-2008 was Lauren Hall. The award was presented on behalf of our club by Brad Brookshire at the RHHS Honors Night on May 15, and Lauren and her parents attended our Veterans Memorial program on 5/28 as well.
Public Safety Officers of the Year - Our club recognizes outstanding public safety officers from the various local law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical organizations each year - 4/23/08 at the Holiday Inn. We will have this special program in March or April, 2009.
Veterans Memorial Dedication - We dedicated 11 bricks for members of the 3rd ID that have been killed in Iraq. The program was held on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at J F Gregory Park - Our speaker was Bill Cathcart - General Manager of WTOC-TV. Families of the honorees were invited to attend, and two families made long trips to be honored. Thanks to Laura Evans for spearheading this program. We plan to make this an annual event, with the next dedication scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2009.
19th Annual Kid's Fishing Derby - We hosted our 18th annual kids fishing derby this year on Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 8:30AM to Noon at The Richmond Hill Fish Hatchery. This was our best year ever, with over 500 children and parents attending. Our Fishing Derby Awards Luncheon was held on Wednesday, July 9 at Noon at Southern Image Restaurant. Our 19th Annual Derby is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, 2009. Brad Brookshire will Chair this event for 2009.
Welcome Home to the 3rd ID - Our participated, along with the Richmond Hill Lions Club, and the Chamber of Commerce, in the Welcome Home 3rd ID event on Friday, July 4th at Fort Stewart. The majority of the troops that have been deployed to Iraq for their third tour will be home by then, and we expect thousands of troops and their families to attend. We will be serving free hamburgers and will serve from 3:00Pm to 6:00PM. We participated in this program on March 25, 2006, and it was one of the best events we have ever been involved in. This was a great event, thanks to those members who were able to participate.
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Officers and Directors for 2008 - 2009
President: Laura Evans
President-Elect Brad Brookshire
Director -Year One of Two: Bill Cox
Director -Year Two of Two: Tyler Randolph
Secretary: Lynn Bennett
Treasurer: Shirley Heagerty
Immediate Past-President: Bob Whitmarsh
Local Newspaper Coverage of Club Activities
We offer special thanks to Ross Blair of the Bryan County News, and Bill Saunders and Jamie Parker of Bryan County NOW for their reporting of the activities of our Exchange Club. As you know, The Exchange Club contributes a lot to the quality of life in our community, but our efforts have often gone unreported in the past. Thanks for the support, and the reporting of "Good News" about Bryan County. Members of our local media are always welcome to attend our meetings as our guests.
Our July 1, 2008 dues are due now. While most members have paid their dues for prior quarterly dues, if you haven't, please send in your membership dues payment as soon as possible. Statements for our current quarterly dues are mailed at the beginning of each quarter, but you can pay your dues without a statement. Quarterly dues are $75. Dues cover the operating expenses of the club, and assure that all other funds of the club are used to support our community service activities. If you have any questions about your dues, please contact Treasurer Shirley Heagerty at either 756-7113 or sandjbookkeeping@msn.com.
Please mail payments to: Richmond Hill Exchange Club, P O Box 967, Richmond Hill, GA 31324.
Editor: Lynn Bennett