President's Message
“Service Above Self” is never more visible than when our community gathers together to honor something greater than ourselves. This past Memorial Day celebration at Roswell City Hall was another incredible reminder of what makes the Roswell Rotary Club so special. First and foremost, thank you again to everyone who helped make this year’s Memorial Day event such an overwhelming success. A very special thank you goes to Past President Dave Young for his tireless leadership, countless hours of preparation, and for seeing the entire event through from beginning to end. Dave’s passion for honoring our veterans and preserving the true meaning of Memorial Day continues to inspire all of us.
Thank you as well to every Roswell Rotarian who gave their time, attended committee meetings, helped organize the countless details leading up to the celebration, and especially to those who showed up on Saturday to help put everything together and stayed afterward to help clean up. Events like this do not happen by accident. They happen because people choose to serve. And thankfully, Mother Nature cooperated just long enough for our community to enjoy a beautiful and meaningful celebration together.
As Memorial Day now passes, it is hard to believe we have only one month remaining in this Rotary year. Summer is arriving quickly. Families are preparing for vacations, kids are out of school, and many of us, including yours truly as I head to the beach with my family, are looking forward to spending time relaxing with our friends and family. Summer is such a great time of the year!
But while summer is a season for rest and family, it cannot become a season where we slow down on what makes this club extraordinary. The success of Roswell Rotary has never been built on convenience. It has been built on commitment. It has been built on people willing to continue living out “Service Above Self” even when life gets busy. Our community still needs us. Families still need support. Service projects still need volunteers. Future members still need an invitation to experience what makes this club so unique.
As we finish strong together, let us continue building momentum not only for the remainder of this Rotary year, but also for the exciting new year ahead. Let us continue growing this club in a way that matches the incredible impact we are capable of making. Most importantly, let us help kick off Leslie’s Rotary year on June 25 with energy, enthusiasm, and momentum already in motion. The greatest gift we can give the next leadership team is not a club slowing down for summer, but a club accelerating toward even greater impact.
Thank you again for all you do to make Roswell Rotary the very best Rotary club anywhere. Together, we continue proving that service, fellowship, and leadership can truly change lives.
Sic Vos Non Vobis
Trummie Lee Patrick III
President 2025-26
Investigative Journalist and Consumer Advocate Dave Cardwell our Speaker May 28
Date : Thursday, May 28, 2026
Time: 12:15
Location: Roswell Area Park
Bill Johnson Community Activity Building
10495 Woodstock Road
Roswell, GA 30075
The Roswell Rotary Club is pleased to welcome William Dale “Dave” Cardwell , a six‑time Emmy Award–winning investigative journalist and consumer advocate whose career spans four decades and some of the most impactful reporting in the Southeast. Mr. Cardwell will speak on "When Business Meets the Four Way Test."
Born in 1962 in Greenville, Kentucky, Cardwell began his broadcasting career at WKAG in Hopkinsville before moving into investigative roles that would define his professional life. Cardwell first gained national attention for his reporting on the 1985 crash of a U.S. Army–chartered jet in Gander, Newfoundland, which killed 248 Fort Campbell soldiers. His coverage propelled him into a prominent investigative position with the CBS affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by reporting stints at WRAL‑TV in Raleigh/Durham and WSMV‑TV in Nashville. In 1996, he joined consumer advocate Clark Howard at WSB‑TV in Atlanta, forming one of the country’s most successful consumer reporting teams. Their work earned numerous awards and helped Cardwell develop deep expertise in identifying financial scams and distinguishing legitimate products and services from those that are “too good to be true.”
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Memorial Day -Roswell Remembered
Wow! While others moved their event inside on a stormy Monday, Roswell Rotary continued to have faith that the clouds would part and the sun would shine down. Also, there is no way that our HUGE flag could go anywhere other than outside at Roswell City Hall. And Roswell Rotary Club has a secret weapon in heaven, the late Malone Dodson, who is always putting in a good word for sunshine when we most need it.
No words for the huge turnout, a stellar program, goose-bump-causing singing and orchestra, a solemn remembrance of fallen soldiers and the memorials Roswell has placed, and the haunting sounds of bagpipes and taps.
We will be sharing links to videos and pictures next week, so be on the lookout.
And thank you to Lynne Lindsay, Memorial Day PR Chair, and our media partners for spreading the word and bringing so many to our event and our city. Roswell comes through with the biggest and best Memorial Day event, again.
Great Volunteers!
Youth at Roswell Remembers
What a joy to see so many young people helping with the Memorial Day event on Monday! They were such a vital part of the volunteer team- wiping down chairs wet from the earlier rain, handing out flags and programs, setting up chairs on Sunday and taking them down on Monday, carrying cones to set up the parking...a huge shout out to these special young people.
Avery Curling, Girl Scout from Troop 20058, along with her fellow scouts Emily & Caroline, shared how being a girl scout is teaching her so many lessons, including the importance of service to her Roswell community as well as the skills needed to serve: patience, working with others, earning badges to use creativity and develop new competencies, and bringing a servant's heart to events like Roswell Remembers.
Evan, Ramsey, Everett and Jack from Boy Scout Troop 87 talked about being outside in nature, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and other community service projects coming up like cooking pork butts in the fall. And looking forward to the fishing pond at Roswell Area Park opening again.
And Young Men's Service League, an organization for mothers and sons, stayed busy putting out the hundreds of chairs. The energy and big smiles made the work go much faster! Thank you all! You made a huge difference!
Seeking Host Families for Our Rotary Youth Exchange Student
Roswell Rotary Club has a proud tradition of supporting Rotary Youth Exchange and the global connections it creates. This year, we are seeking host families for a 17‑year‑old female student from Vimercate, Italy, who will be entering the 11th grade at Roswell High School.
We are looking for a caring family willing to open their home and hearts to her for a three‑month hosting period. You do not need to have a high school student of your own to participate, just a willingness to share your family life, offer support, and embrace a meaningful cultural exchange.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program thrives because of families who generously welcome students they have never met, creating bonds that last a lifetime. In a world that feels increasingly divided, hosting an exchange student is a powerful way to build understanding, broaden perspectives, and help our young people, and ourselves, see the shared hopes and dreams that connect us across cultures.
If you would like to explore this opportunity for global friendship, either for this school year or next, or know a neighbor or friend who would open their home, please contact Alesia Booth, Deb Perkins, or email roswellrotaryye@gmail.com.
New Member Spotlight
Welcome Connor Beecham
Growing up in Milton, but surrounded by a Roswellian family, Connor Beecham and wife, Kelley, moved to Roswell about a year ago from Brookhaven. Meeting with Bob Clarkson helped him decide to join Roswell Rotary. Since his dad, Steve, has belonged to the Alpharetta Rotary for 25 years, he was quite familiar with the concept and ready to plug into our community.
Graduating from Kings Ridge Christian School in 2010, Connor started his college career playing football at Samford University for 2 years prior to transferring to UGA in 2013, then earning his BA in Business Management in 2015.
With his dad, he proudly co-owns Home Town Mortgage based in Alpharetta, the oldest mortgage company operating there. His wife works at Anchored Mind, a mental health and nutrition studio based here at Woodstock Road and Canton Street. Now living in Land O Lakes, they have started to build an incredible group of friends in their neighborhood…possible Rotarians in the near future?
Fun fact: Connor co-owns a local residential painting company here in Roswell called Terminus Painting Company!
June 24 The Tavern
Blood Drive
June 6, 2026
Cops 'N Cars Car Show
Save the Date: June 25th
Installation Party Leslie Bassett
Join us on June 25th at Grana to celebrate the Installation of our President-Elect for 2026-27 Leslie Bassett!
Click Here for Invitation
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Summer Volunteer Opportunity
Homestretch Summer Enrichment for kids
President-Elect Leslie has committed to 33 volunteer hours for the 33 children in the HomeStretch program.
9-10 am M-F from June 8 through July 31 are available dates.
More information to come with flyers and sign up info at Thursday's meeting.
Upcoming Roswell Rotary Events
Save the Date: Find Your Spot and Help Us to Unite for GOOD
Alive in Roswell
Thursday, May 21 5pm - 8pm
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Cops n Cars
Sat. June 6 11am - 3pm
Lebanon Baptist Church , Roswell GA
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Blood Drive
Wed. June 24
The Tavern 8am-2pm
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Leslie Installation Party
Thursday, June 25 6pm - 9pm Time TBD
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2026 Golf, Tennis, Pickleball Tournament
Monday, Sept. 14
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