Perry Rotary Club

🌾 A family farm. Four generations. More than a century of history.

Today’s Perry Rotary Club meeting featured Neil Skipper of Skipper Family Farms LLC , who shared the story of an area farm that began in 1912 and continues to evolve more than 100 years later.

Neil shared how his family has transitioned from traditional row-crop farming into agritourism—not only as a way to preserve the farm for future generations, but also to create a place where families can make memories and experience a little piece of farm life.

From pumpkins and fall activities to choose-and-cut Christmas trees, school field trips, their Hallmark-inspired Christmas Festival and more, the Skipper family has created something truly special.

But what stood out most was their commitment to giving back. Through their annual jayshope Farm Market, support of Trees for Troops , and other community initiatives, they are using their farm to make an impact far beyond their property lines.

We love seeing local businesses adapt, grow and find new ways to serve their community while honoring the generations that came before them.

Thank you, Neil, for sharing the Skipper Family Farms story with us today—and for reminding us what it looks like to preserve a legacy while continuing to move it forward. 🌾🎃🎄

Rotaract Club of Trinity School of Medicine Induction Brunch

What a beautiful induction brunch at Houston Lake Country Club as we celebrated our annual Turnover & Induction Ceremony!

Thank you to outgoing President Rob Schwartzand his board for your outstanding leadership, dedication and hard work. You truly lived last year’s theme *“Unite for Good” 2025-2026*.

We warmly welcome our new Rotaract President Sonia Singhal and her board for 2026-2027! We are excited for your leadership and vision as we embrace the new Rotary theme *“Create a Lasting Impact” 2026-2027*.

Special thanks to our Induction Officer, Incoming Area Governor Heath Klemm for officiating the ceremony and inspiring us with his message of service.

Heartfelt appreciation to our advisers Dr. Joseph Lomboy, MD and Dr. Marietta Lomboy, DNP for your continued guidance and support.

Congratulations to all! Here’s to a year of service above self and creating lasting impact!

Rotary in Action 🌎

At Monday’s Rotary meeting, we heard an inspiring update on a Rotary-supported maternal and newborn health initiative in rural Guatemala.

What began as a program focused on training traditional midwives has grown into an “ecosystem of survival”—bringing together community preparedness, emergency transportation, healthcare training, and better communication to help mothers and newborns receive lifesaving care when every minute matters.

A powerful reminder that meaningful service means listening, learning, adapting, and working together to create lasting impact.

💙💛 Today’s Rotary program was extra special! 💛💙

We were honored to welcome Bonita Boland from Perry High School as our guest speaker today!

Bonita was recognized as support Person of the Year for the entire Houston County School District, and it’s easy to see why. She is truly a gem! 💎

Bonita works tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure students, teachers, and administrators have what they need, when they need it — and she always does it with a smile on her face. Her hard work, kindness, and servant’s heart make a difference at Perry High School every single day.

And we got to experience that big heart firsthand today! Everyone who gave “Happy Dollars” received a BIG hug from Bonita in gratitude. 🤗❤️

Thank you, Bonita, for everything you do for Perry High School and our community. People like you make Perry such a special place to call home.

You make us Perry Proud! 🐾💙

CommunityStrong Rotary

Lets give a big welcome to our Georgia Rotary Student Program GRSP student this school year, Aarya! She will be attending Wesleyan College. Thank you to Corey Hull and his family for getting Aarya settled in and welcoming her!

🐾 Rotary Recap 🐾

Today, the Perry Rotary Club had the pleasure of hearing from Roberta Lasater with Friends of the Perry Animal Shelter (FOPAS) about the incredible work their organization is doing to care for homeless animals in our community.

Some amazing highlights included:
🐶 In July, every dog that entered Perry Animal Control had a positive outcome—they were adopted, transferred to a rescue, or reunited with their owner. That’s an incredible milestone!

🐱 FOPAS currently cares for dozens of dogs and cats, relying on 397 volunteers, a small staff, and generous community support to make their mission possible.

❤️ Each year, they help 400–600 animals find loving homes through adoption, foster care, and rescue partnerships.

Roberta also shared ways our community can make a difference:
• Volunteer at the shelter
• Foster a pet
• Sponsor an adoption fee
• Donate supplies or auction items
• Help promote adoptable animals through your business or social media

Thank you, Roberta, for sharing your passion and reminding us that every act of kindness—whether it’s volunteering, fostering, donating, or adopting—helps give these animals a second chance.

Today’s Rotary meeting featured a powerful presentation on Project SMART, a Rotary-led initiative addressing the addiction crisis through education, prevention, awareness, recovery, and treatment.

Our speaker, Larry Kenemore, a retired paramedic with 25 years of experience, shared the realities of the opioid epidemic and the growing dangers of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. More importantly, he emphasized that addiction is a disease, it is treatable, and communities working together can make a real difference.

We also heard an inspiring story of recovery from a Rotarian whose life was transformed through support, service, and hope—a reminder of the incredible impact Rotary can have in changing lives.

Thank you Larry for an informative and thought-provoking program that challenged us to think about how we can make a lasting impact in our own communities.

💙💛

Leadership starts with opportunity. 💙💛

A huge thank you to Luz Alcantar for sharing her inspiring RYLA journey with the Perry Rotary Club today!

Luz spoke about the incredible impact the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program has had on her life—from attending camp as a student to now serving as a counselor and mentoring the next generation of leaders. Through RYLA, she has gained invaluable leadership skills, built lifelong friendships, and discovered a passion for serving others.

She also shared her heartfelt appreciation to the Perry Rotary Club for sponsoring her attendance, making this life-changing experience possible.

Thank you, Luz, for reminding us why investing in young leaders matters. Your story is proof that one opportunity can create a lifetime of impact.

💙💛 Today’s Perry Rotary Meeting Recap 💛💙

Today’s meeting gave us a preview of an incredible leadership opportunity coming to our community!

Thank you to David Grossnickle and Rebecca Bearded of AXIS Leadership for sharing about the upcoming Live2Lead Middle Georgia Leadership Summit on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Live2Lead is a world-class leadership experience featuring teachings from John Maxwell and other renowned leadership experts, paired with local networking opportunities and practical strategies you can take back to your workplace the very next day.

Hosted locally by AXIS Leadership at Southside Baptist Church – Kathleen Campus, this event is designed for business leaders, nonprofit professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to grow their leadership influence.

📅 Save the Date: October 22, 2026
📍 Southside Baptist Church – Kathleen Campus
📍 101 Bear Branch Road, Kathleen, GA

Thank you, David and Rebecca, for inspiring our club and investing in the future of leadership across Middle Georgia. We look forward to seeing many familiar faces at Live2Lead this October!