PTC Rotary Past President Joel Norris had an inspiration to do more and saw a special need for expanding opportunities for individuals who might otherwise not get a chance to participate in activities that would allow them to excel and gain self-esteem.
Every community has people with disabilities and PTC is no exception. Joel’s inspiration was that maybe the PTC Rotary Club could become a “sponsor” for a Rotary Community Corps (RCC) created for adults with disabilities. Using the RCC in Parker, Colorado as a model, Joel presented his idea to the PTC Rotary Club Board of Directors. After receiving approval and startup funds, Joel applied to Rotary International for formal recognition and his team began recruiting potential members. They held their first meeting on February 9, 2015 and received its formal charter on March 9, 2015.
Just like Rotary International, the RCC changes officers each year; thus, we have had 8 presidents that have led the club by having monthly meetings and doing regular service projects. They have been able to raise funds to present several service dogs to veterans and children in need as well.
To celebrate these past presidents, the Rotary Club of Peachtree City and several members made generous donations to have each of the past presidents become Paul Harris Fellows through the Rotary Foundation. District Governor George Granade, PDG Raymond Ray, PP Joel Norris, and PTC Rotarians Amy Matusek, Brenda Erickson and Mike Lardie helped present the awards to each member – 2015-2016 Steven Ochoa, 2016-2017 Michael Crofton, 2017-2018 Brandon Martin, 2018-2019 Eddie Griffin, 2019-2020 Owen Apfel, 2020-2021 Robert Currey, 2021-2022 Emily Anderson and 2022-2023 Amber Tino.
The Rotary Community Corps meets the 2nd Monday of each month. Please reach out to [email protected] for more information on this organization.
