Where We Meet

We meet every Wednesday at 12 noon at Harrah's Hotel on Poydras Street, which offers validated parking. An RSVP is not necessary. If you will be bringing a guest or a visiting Rotarian, however, please notify us. Get directions or view a map.

This Week's Speaker

Mar 3: Jessica White, Executive Director, 504ward (Meeting in Casino)

Upcoming Speakers

Mar 17: Randy Waeshe, financial analyst
Mar 24: Clancy DuBos
Mar 31: Gene Dattel, author of ''Cotton and Race in the Making of America: The Human Costs of Economic Power.''
Apr 7: Gary LaGrange, Director, Port of NO
Apr 14: Warren Easton day - lunch at Warren Easton

Previous Speakers

Feb 16: No Meeting; Mardi Gras Week

Feb 24: No Meeting; 100th Birthday Party week

Feb 10: Jim Montgomery, CEO of Touro Infirmary

Feb 3: Phyllis Jordan, Chairman of the Board, The Green Project. Phyllis Jordan, the founder of PJ's Coffee, comes to Rotary as chairman of the board of The Green Project. The Green Project accepts donated excess paint, surplus building materials and art supplies from individuals, businesses and local governments. Founded in 1994, its mission is to "creatively promote and encourage environmentally sustainable living in New Orleans." Read More in the Feb 3 BOLO.

Jan 27: Major General David Mize USMC (RET), President and CEO of the New Orleans Federal Alliance. Maj. Gen. Mize attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with Distinction (top 5%) in 1969. His first operational assignment was a one year combat tour in Vietnam where he served as a rifle platoon commander, an infantry company commander and a battalion operations officer. Read his full bio in the Jan 27 BOLO.

Jan 20: Mtumishi St. Julien

Jan 13: Natalie Jayroe, CEO of Second Harvest
Natalie joined Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans and Acadiana as President and CEO in January 2006. The mission of Second Harvest is to lead the fight against hunger in south Louisiana through food distribution, advocacy, education and disaster response. Second Harvest currently distributes more than 17 million pounds of food annually through more than 200 faith-based and nonprofit agency members in 23 parishes of south Louisiana. Read More in the Jan 13 BOLO.

Dec 23 and Dec 30: No Meeting

Dec 16: Jim Letten, US Attorney, New Orleans
Jim Letten, who has served as the United States Attorney since April, 2001, is a native of New Orleans, having graduated from the Tulane Law School in 1979. He spent a total of four years in the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, under then-District Attorney Harry Connick. Read More in the Dec 16 BOLO.

Dec 9: Howard Schwartz, FBI Assistant Special Agent in charge, New Orleans
Assistant Special Agent in charge (ASAC) Howard Schwartz has been with the FBI for 22 years. He has responsibility for all criminal programs in the New Orleans Division. ASAC Schwartz has lectured and provided training to more than 3,000 law enforcement officers in the United States and 2,000 law enforcement officers around the world. Read More in the Dec 9 BOLO.

Update from Haiti

A Donor Advised Fund has been established that is accepting contributions. Complete information is available at www.rotary.org/haiti.

Annie Palubicki (annie.palubicki@rotary.org) will be happy to answer additional questions that you might have on the fund.

PGD Dick McCombe has a report on Rotary's efforts in Haiti. Read the report.

Club Calendar

View the calendar online or you can subscribe to the calendar and it will be updated into your Outlook or iCal by clicking this link: Rotary Calendar.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events! Details will be posted as the event dates approach.

Urgent! Please respond to our survey

We are trying to get a rough head count for our 100-year celebration at Antoine's on Saturday, February 27 and the patron party preceding it. If you plan to attend or assist in preparing for the celebrations, please click here to take the survey.

Important: An email was sent out this past weekend requesting that you respond to a survey to help us get that head count. If you have already taken that survey, you need not respond to this one - it is the same.

Upcoming Events

Wed Mar 24: Warren Easton Luncheon
Mar 26: Metairie Sunrise RC Gold Tournament
Apr 15-16: District 6840 Conference, Bay St. Louis
June 9: Rotary Derby

Feed the Hungry with Warren Easton Interact Club

The Interact Club is collecting old cell phones which they are recycling to earn money to fund their projects. If you have any old cell phones and wish to contribute to their cause, please bring the cell phones to the Rotary meeting or deliver them to Faun Fenderson's office (700 Camp Street) - call Faun at 528-9500 (ext 319) for more info.

Your Bucks for Beans purchased 144 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese which are being distributed via the Feed the Hungry project. Your continued support for this project will ensure that these 144 families receive some protein in their food bags! Thanks!

Contact Faun Fenderson, (504) 525-4361 (ext 232), faun@faunfenderson.com

Group Study Exchange with Argentina

Our District will participate with Argentina in a Group Study Exchange for four weeks in April - May, 2010. Through the program, teams of young professionals from Districts 6840 and 4825 will exchange visits. Team members experience the way of life, customs and vocational practices of the two districts, while sharing information about their home countries. The GSE promotes international understanding and goodwill through personal connection.

While abroad, team members stay in Rotarians' homes and have the opportunity to meet their professional counterparts. They also give presentations to Rotary clubs and other groups about their home country. Rotary pays for round-trip airfare, and Rotary club members in the host countries provide meals, lodging and group travel in their district. For information contact Sharron Newton in Slidell at snewton0959@earthlink.net or by telephone at 985.661.0718.