Roswell Rotarians, thank you for a fabulous kickoff meeting last week—what an energizing way to begin our year of Strengthening Connections. The room was filled with purpose, laughter, and that special blend of fellowship and service that makes Roswell Rotary unique.

This week, we get to do it again as we welcome GBI Director Chris Hosey as our speaker, along with fabulous food, camaraderie, and a shared commitment to making our community safer and stronger. Director Hosey has emphasized that the GBI’s mission is to provide the highest-quality investigative, scientific, and information services to law enforcement partners across Georgia, and that success is driven not by the title of Director, but by “dedicated men and women…sworn to the task of serving the citizens of the state.” He has pledged to “keep our foot on the gas pedal” in addressing violent crime while expanding capabilities and partnerships, reflecting a vision grounded in public service, innovation, and teamwork—values that mirror Rotary’s own. Bring a friend to the meeting!

Rotarians are people of action, and bite-sized steps help us turn that energy into impact for Strengthening Connections this year. I find that with so many priorities competing for my time and attention, if I know something needs to be done and I can do it in 5 minutes or less, I do it right then. That releases my brain to focus on the next true priority without the anxiety of when I’m going to get the small thing done or whether I’ll forget it.

So I’ve done your work for you. Here are FIVE simple, less than 5 minutes each, specific ways you can move Roswell Rotary forward this week:

1. Huskies Helping Huskies: Hop on the Amazon wishlist, purchase some supplies, and make an impact for our middle schoolers in need of a boost to kick off their school year with confidence;

2. Calendar: Go to the Roswell Rotary website, click on the calendar, choose which events you’ll attend and which speakers you’re inviting guests to hear, and then lock those dates into your calendar so they are a true priority;

3. Commit once and for all to your volunteer role and financial commitment for the Golf, Tennis & Pickleball Tournaments, helping our sponsorship and volunteer teams know they can count on you—because doing so respects their time, honors our “is it fair to all concerned” test, and helps them sleep at night.

4. Survey: If you haven’t done so, please complete the short survey circulated last week so your voice can help shape how YOUR Roswell Rotary serves this year.

5. Connections Challenge – schedule it for the week as soon as I announce it. Then you’ll calendar it and do it. As this message is being written, my own challenge isn’t done yet, but I’m looking forward to the coffee time I’ve scheduled with two of our Rotarians—because some of us overachievers can’t stop at just one connection.

See you on Thursday!

Together in Service,

Leslie