Members of the Rotary Club of Buford/North Gwinnett and their families, in conjunction with the Gwinnett Public Library Suwanee Branch, came together and assembled several hundred packages full of material for the Littlest Reader Program.  The club was fortunate to receive a $3,500 grant from Rotary International which helped provide the materials for this project.

The books and other materials will be given to families and care givers of newborns in order to promote literacy.  The Rotary members will also deliver additional kits to the staff at the Gwinnett Medical Center Woman's Pavilion.

This service project, a well known tradition for the Rotary Club of Buford/North Gwinnett, was fun for both Rotary members and their families.  The event took place in the evening of July 28th at the Gwinnett Public Library in Suwanee. Those in attendance were treated to a pizza party and an exclusive tour of the branch. Dawn Pogue, Rotarian and Service Chair for the Rotary Club said, "We simply want to make a difference in the lives of the children in our community."

Club President Duane Champlin said, "This is an exciting time for our local business owners, professional leaders, and their families to get involved in making North Gwinnett an even better place to live."

The club has undertaken many projects in the North Gwinnett area, including Gwinnett County's Great Day of Service, support for the Buford Senior Center, scholarships at NGHS and Buford High School, Toys for Tots, Gwinnett Children's Shelter, American Red Cross, United Way, Hurricane Katrina relief, Habitat for Humanity, GRSP Student Exchange and Ambassadorial Scholarships and the Rotary Foundation just to name a few.

Internationally, the club, through the Rotary Foundation, supports the Polio Plus initiative, the Shelter Box program, water projects in Haiti, Africa, and South America, wheelchair programs, and many more very worthwhile programs.  Rotary is a non-political organization, striving to change the world in a peaceful way, one heart at a time.

With the primary purpose of Rotary reflected in its motto: Service Above Self, there are so many reasons to join the Rotary Club of Buford/North Gwinnett. While Rotarians are expected to attend weekly meetings, participate in community service projects and help sustain and increase club membership, Rotary also gives its members opportunities to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances.

As members of the oldest service club in the world, Rotarians represent a cross-section of their community's business owners, executives, managers, political leaders and professionals - people who make decisions and influence policy.  Rotary is a great way to network and make friends who share a common focus - community service.  A strong group of people can accomplish so much more than just one person on his own.

"If you are interested in finding out what Rotary is about, attend our next meeting as our guest,"  Duane said.  The club meets every Wednesday at noon for lunch.  For more information about membership, please contact Club President Duane Chaplin directly at (678) 804-2511.  They are always looking for new members to help strengthen our club. Check them out on the web at www.northgwinnettrotary.org.