Members and Newsletter Subscribers - Welcome to the Dublin AM Rotary Club Newsletter. If you have visited a meeting, but are not yet a member, please read to learn about our club. If you are interested in membership, contact Kurt Brown.
On January 31, 2025, we held our Annual Meeting, where we celebrated the incredible work being done by our fellow Rotarians. Some highlights include:
Membership: A key focus of our recent discussion was the importance of member retention, continuing to grow our membership, and the potential for a new membership tier aimed at Young Professionals. Expect updates as we work to strengthen engagement and expand our club in March and beyond.
Education Services: It’s that time of year again—scholarship judging! This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved, learn more about the incredible students in our community, and recognize their efforts. We’re excited to host scholarship recipients in May, to hear firsthand about their achievements and aspirations.
Veterans Affairs: We received important updates on ongoing initiatives and the Honor Flight program, which continues to make a meaningful impact on the lives of our veterans.
International Services: The mission trip to the Dominican Republic originally scheduled for this year has been deferred to 2026. In the meantime, we made a $1,000 donation to support education services in the Dominican Republic and are exploring partnership opportunities with clubs in our district.
Youth Services: We got an update on the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, summer exchanges, and the growing success of Interact. These programs continue to be instrumental in developing leadership skills and fostering service-minded young people in our community.
Club & Foundation Finances: Rich and Susan provided a solid financial overview, and we’re pleased to report that both our club and foundation finances are in great shape.
Community Services: Wolf gave a summary of ongoing projects with a strong turnout at the table. As we continue our community impact, we need new members to join the Community Services Committee—a great way to get involved and make a difference!
Club Services & Social Events: Luke shared exciting updates about upcoming social events to keep our club engaged and connected. Stay tuned for details!
Speaker Committee – Volunteers Needed! Peter Georgiton is looking for volunteers to join the Speaker Committee to help shape next year’s calendar that starts in July. If you have ideas for engaging speakers or would like to be involved, we’d love to have your support!
Lunch and Learn hosted by City Barbeque and Dublin AM Rotary: By all measures, the program was a success with presentations by Rick Malir, Founder and Executive Chairman of City Barbecue, who shared insights and advice about leadership and business growth. Mike Isler, Faculty Lecturer at The Ohio State University, led the breakout sessions. We're planning to continue this program.
As always, thank you for your dedication to Rotary and our shared mission of service. We look forward to another impactful year!
Images from January 30 Lunch and Learn event.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Gene Oliver
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Thank you to the Polar Bear Golf Open Planning Committee, Event Volunteers, and Golfers!
Thanks to Polar Bear Committee Co-Chairs Pete Cushnie and Sinan Yaykin for all their work planning and implementing the February 8 event!
Additional Committee Members and/or event day volunteers included: Tricia Arndt, Mary Bandeen, Eileen Bolton, Linda Cochran, Wendy Cushnie, Michael Darling, Utku Ed Edin, Ingrid Fields, Peter Georgiton, Cindy Groeniger, David Grubbs, Sara Harrison-Mills, Susanna Qiang Huang, Roberta Kayne, Andrew Keeler, Janice Morgan, Ronald Morgan, Gene Oliver, Trish Piliado, Susan Robenalt, Bob Rosenberg, Stephen Schmitt, Daniel Schwegman, Luke Thomas, Claudia Trusty, Susan West, and Sharon Zimmers.
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Committee Updates
Club Services
It's time for the Winter Perfect Party! Please join your Dublin AM Rotarians and bring a guest for an evening of fun, food, drink and fellowship Saturday, February 22 starting at 6:30pm at the home of Susanna Huang.
Susanna will graciously open her home, so be the Perfect Guest and bring a drink to share and either an appetizer or dessert.
Rotary District 6690 Governor Gary Baker is championing an “All-Rotary Veterans Honor Flight” to Washington D.C. The district will partner with Honor Flight Columbus, an affiliate of the national Veterans Honor Flight Program, to support this dedicated flight featuring Rotary members who are fellow veterans and Rotarians. This special Rotary Honor Flight, designated District 6690 HFC 925, will take off in September 2025 (exact date TBD).
Veterans eligible to apply for a seat on the flight must be 65 or older and have served on full-time active duty or have over 29 years in the Guard or Reserves. WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and terminally ill veterans will have scheduling priority. HFC 925 applications will be accepted from veterans that are Rotary Club members, Rotary Club alumni, related to Rotary families, or sponsored by a local Rotary club.
Rotary has organized Disaster Relief Funds to assist the victims of the California wildfires. District 5280 has also created a Resource Directory and online spreadsheet for In-Kind Donations.
For more info, to donate, or to access the Wildfire Disaster Relief Directory for District 5280 (Los Angeles), click here.
To donate to the District 5300 (southern California and southern Nevada) Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund, click here.
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Returning Member:
Mike Close
Michael Close has dedicated his life to community and country. As an attorney, Mike provided guidance to non-profit organizations addressing food deprivation, homelessness, chemical dependency, developmental disabilities, and community development. He was a regular presenter at judicial conferences and continuing education opportunities. He was an elected judge in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, eventually reaching judgeship in the Court of Appeals. Mike offered his knowledge and leadership skills as a Dublin City Councilman and as Mayor of Dublin. Mike’s passion for serving his fellow veterans inspired his years of membership in numerous veteran organizations. As a former Franklin County Veterans Service Commissioner, he moved the office into audit compliance and encouraged the recruitment of staff that now represents an appropriate cross section of gender, race and ethnicity. Always active in his community, Mike has assisted in the management of his church and its school, and launched a soccer program supporting more than 1,000 children annually.
Mike was a member of Dublin AM Rotary for many years and served as President 2013-2014.
Mike is a graduate of the Capital University Law School and The Ohio State University. He is a pilot and world traveler who has been everywhere from the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula to the headwaters of the Amazon River. He is a father of three children and grandfather of eight.