October was an eventful month for our GRSP students with many traveling to Savannah for a student weekend. Good fun was had by all and the weather was wonderful. We are very lucky that District 6910 has been chartering a bus for the last few years, as it makes getting the student to these weekends much easier.

As the newsletter goes to press, the Rotary Clubs of Alpharetta, Johns Creek , Milton-Windward, North Fulton, Roswell and Sandy Springs just hosted he final student weekend for this calendar year. Students had an opportunity to go zip-lining at Tree Top Quest and then headed to Main Event, where they spent the evening in the game rooms and bowling alleys.

HOLIDAYS

It is not too early to start talking with your student about holiday plans, particularly Thanksgiving. There is not another country in the world that celebrates Thanksgiving and this is the favorite holiday of nearly every student we have hosted. We think it evokes memories of their own families at significant holidays in their own countries. For those clubs that do not partner with other clubs, students seem to like to visit several families, rather than just staying with their main host family. Obviously, this depends on the student, but for those Rotarians who are not official host families, this could be a good way to find out a little more about the program by visiting with your student.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Planning continues with some real accomplishments being made at committee levels. Many things are interdependent, so the work sometimes seems slow. The Fanning Institute continue to guide us and is holding us accountable.

Our students are different than they were 20 years ago, as our Rotarians are. What worked 20 years ago is no longer working and GRSP is aware of that and working to figure out a solution. Your trustees, directors and district chair are listening to you, so take advantage of that and give us your opinion. We are finding that there are many misconceptions about GRSP, so our goal to educate Rotarians is not something that can be accomplished overnight. There are so many programs in Rotary that it is difficult to get enough time to explain it in terms that are understandable. Invite your trustee to a meeting to explain it to you and to answer questions. GRSP has been around for 70 years and has grown into such an amazing program, but we have to change with the times. We want to hear what you have to say and are always listening for good options to improve the program. Please let us know what you think.

OSLO SCHOLARSHIP

Deadline is December 30 for this all-expense paid trip to Oslo, Norway next summer. Ask your trustee for details or check out our website at www.grsp.org. Please understand that Rotarian children and grandchildren can and do apply for this scholarship. The Oslo International Summer School is an English-speaking school and will offer scholarships to 3 Georgia residents. The School term begins on June 22, 2019 and ends on August 2, 2019 and students must be between the ages of 20-24, single and must have completed their college sophomore year. This past year Miss Alexandra “Alex” Dushok sponsored by the LaGrange Rotary Club won the scholarship. We had many qualified applicants and it was more difficult than ever picking out the winner.

BARBARA M. AND DONALD L. THOMAS PEACE AWARD

The Roswell Rotary Club is proud to continue this award once again. Thanks to the continued generosity and support of the Thomas family, an award of $1500 will be presented to a deserving GRSP student who exhibits the spirit of the GRSP program and who is in need of additional financial assistance.

The application form was sent to all Club Presidents on October 18. The completed application and accompanying letters must be returned no later than February 15, 2019. The award will be presented at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Roswell at a time convenient to all parties.

If you have any questions please contact Jacque Digieso, Roswell Rotary Club, 770-851-3435 (cell) or by email at digieso@bellsouth.net. Contact numbers are also listed at the bottom of the application form.

ENDOWMENT NEWS

We are very excited to once again be giving out checks to clubs in our district that donated at least $50 per capita to the GRSP Endowment. Calculations for those checks have not been made as of press time, but should be made shortly. This District always receives the lion's share of the award, since we are such supporters of the endowment. Please understand that this is not the $7 per member that each club gives to GRSP each year to keep the program running, but the additional donations that Rotarians make to the GRSP Endowment. The GRSP Endowment is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and donations are considered tax deductible. Confirm that your treasurer sends in any donations you have made before the end of the year to get credit for your donation in the year in which it was made.

SELECTION NEWS

Each November during the student weekend, the executive committee of GRSP meets to take a good look at the earnings of the endowment and discuss projections on tuition cost increases in Georgia for the following year. The goal of the committee is to give as much as possible out of the endowment to reduce the pain to sponsoring Rotary Clubs. We always have a representative for the Board of Regents so that we have current information. Latest intell is that club president elects will be receiving the Selection Book the middle of November. The Selection Committee for each club will again receive more information on each student in order to make the most intelligent choice possible.

Every club will want the “best” student, but it is impossible to know which student the “best” student is by looking at a two page document with a picture. We all do the best we can with the limited information available and choose our top 6 in order of preference. Clubs have different ways of working together to come up with a selection. When multiple clubs are selecting, the methods are as many as the partnerships that are selecting. We should receive the Commitment Forms with the Statistical Table on costs to sponsor a student by the middle of November. The president elect will sign the Commitment Form committing his or her club to paying this amount for a student. These forms must be submitted prior to January 5 for final selection by their trustee on January 20. Many factors influence whether or not a club gets their first choice or even a student that wasn’t selected by the club at all. Sometimes a student decides to turn down the scholarship for another one that they applied for or may decide that the university the club wants to send them to is not their first choice. Fortunately for many clubs, they find that even if they didn’t get their first choice, the student that they receive exceeds all expectations.

Please remember that there is quite a lot of confidential information in the Selection Book. Do not let your student from this year look through the book or post the information for everyone to see.

TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Please be advised that the schools and universities in Georgia require notification when a student plans to exit the United States to visit another country outside of our borders. Such travel requires approval from the university or college and notification must be given to the Home Office (Barbara Lariscy or Holly Baker) Any questions may be directed to the home office as well.

In addition to this the GRSP Office will need to know 1) where the student plans to go, 2) the length of stay and 3) the name of the group that the student will be traveling with, whether that is a travel agency, sponsored trip or on their own. Students need to understand that returning to the United States through customs and immigration could present a problem, if proper notification has not been given to the college or university. Also, even if a student is traveling within the borders of the United States, it is always recommended that they keep their passport with them at all times for proper identification.

DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISITS

This year DG Court has invited your trustee to attend the general meeting of the club with the District Governor, as well as the Board Meeting. If your trustee is able to attend, please welcome them and as any questions if time allows. Your trustee is there to help you with any questions and if you are not currently sponsoring a student, working out solutions so that you can. The trustees also have extensive training on how to use dollars in the club accounts to get Rotarians to their next level of giving, if they are interested. Thank you DG Court for supporting and understanding GRSP and allowing your trustees to make the visits with your clubs.