A Room Full of STARS
And Two Special Speakers
By John Galles
 
The program for May 8 combined a special report from Alan Adler on the 2007 Rotary Scholarship Golf Classic and two new members giving their "How I Got to Where I'm At!" speeches by Bill Staton and Jessica Brasington.
 
Entitled "You are a Star!," Alan Adler provided members with a multi-media presentation that boosted this year's upcoming tournament… our club's fifth annual event. He reminded all of us that this fundraising event provides funds for 4-year scholarships for our community's first responders including police, fire, sheriff and medic departments. He was most generous in thanking all the participants, foursomes, contributors, sponsors, and volunteers and encouraged everyone to sign up again.
 
The 2007 golf event will be held at the Cedarwood Country Club. It will take place on October 2. WBT radio has arranged for Al & Stacey to participate and emcee the prize ceremonies. Alan was most grateful for all the "stars" in Rotary who helped make the event so successful.
 
"America's money coach," Bill Staton was introduced to provide his "How I got to Where I'm At." Bill was born in Rocky Mount, NC, grew up in Bethel as one of its 1800 residents back then and still today. Someone took his place. The population remains the same. During summers, he worked in tobacco fields as well as farming cucumbers and strawberries. From Bethel's one intersection with 8 stoplights, Bill went on to the Wharton School and then to Interstate Securities. He moved from Richmond to Charlotte along the way and is so pleased to be in the Charlotte community and now in Rotary. Now he and his wife, Mary, are Rotary members. As a financial consultant, Bill is also an accomplished author. He is founder and Chairman of the Staton Institute and puts together Wealth Management Seminars around the country. In his spare time, he is manager of many personal portfolios. He is especially proud that he has provided a positive return on investment for every year since 1996.
 
Next up was Jessica Brasington. Also born in Rocky Mount, Jessica is mother of two daughters, active in the Myers Park Methodist Church, Habitat for Humanity and the Charlotte Economics Club. Her brief description of herself is as a "pimp for lawyers." She is the manager of Hudson Legal Staffing in Charlotte.
 
She remembers how challenged she felt on fundraising campaigns as a child. She knew from those experiences that she had a solid threshold for sales. She followed the adage, "Do what you love, the money will follow!" When confronted with the options of nurse, teacher or secretary when she started working, she opted for secretarial work and became an administrative assistant. When children came along, she discovered that she had the entrepreneurial spirit and worked outside the home. She also went back to school. She became a telecommunications company sales rep and that work took her to Atlanta and Asheville before coming to Charlotte. In 1995, she became a staffing company manager. In 2001, she was recruited to manage Hudson Legal Staffing. And, it is there that she finds attorneys work by the hour…just as a pimp. Beyond that, Jessica has confronted cancer and to this day believes that she got where she's at by the grace of God.
 
Head Table: Kitty Musard, Jessica Brasington, Luther Moore, BG Metzler, Bill Staton, Jill Santuccio, Don Millen
Invocation: Frank Martin
Visitors & Guests: Ed Lewis; Four-Way Test: John Johnson; Music: Biff Virkler; Piano: Thomas Moore

• Welcome back Tigger Alexander, who rejoined the club after a short break. Tigger initially joined Rotary in June, 1978 and is president of R. B. Alexander & Co., Ltd, a footwear and retail consulting and sourcing firm.
 
• Dick Klingman and son Thom threw a party to celebrate Klingman Williams' 20th-anniversary as Charlotte's largest office-furniture-supply company. Says the elder Klingman: "When I started this, I never dreamed we would be this big."
 
• Catherine Browning was featured in the May 2007 10th Anniversary Edition of Today's Charlotte Woman as one of the fifteen most fascinating women to ever grace the pages of the magazine. Catherine and four of her friends were featured for founding the organization "Good Friends." Elsie Garner is profiled in a Q&A in the May edition of the online magazine Charlotte Viewpoint.
  
• President Luther recognized Floyd Davis for Leading the Way in efforts to help the homeless through his work with Community Link. Board members Alan Adler, Mike Rash, Martin Grable, Steve Meckler, and Dan Kensil were on hand at the fundraising event this week.

• Ed Lewis, Vice President of Government Relations for the Charlotte Bobcats, was recently nominated to receive the Greater New Haven NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award. Ed is originally from Connecticut and will attend the Freedom Fund Dinner later this month where this award will be presented to him.

• The Observer ran a nice article on the Friday Friends program - which is being coordinate by Mecklenburg Ministries and Charlotte Rescue Mission (Tony Marciano). Contact Tony is you would like to volunteer to participate in the program.

• Chuck Lew was featured in an article on Charlotte business leaders where he gave an overview of his job as founder of executive search firm Coleman Lew & Associates Inc; the May 2007 issue of Greater Charlotte Biz (John Galles) has an article on the successful fundraising campaign for the CPCC Foundation. The formal Creating Opportunity campaign goal was $15 million over five years; the Foundation had over 8,000 donors and raised over $28 million.

• SUJI would like to visit her cousins before returning to S. Korea. If you are planning a trip to New York or Washington, DC before June 17th and could accompany Suji on the trip (she must travel with a Rotarian), please contact Matt Joyner, 704-295-0226.

• HOST FAMILIES are needed for the club's exchange student, Isa Masa Tejeda, who will arrive from Spain in the fall. If you can help, please contact Ed Wadsworth at 704-895-3435 or Lamar Thomas, 704-372-8615.

David Norman will be set up to take ROSTER photos on May 22 and May 29. Cost is $10.
Time is 11:15 to 12:15 and 1:30 to 2:15 both days

Cynthia Vanderford Wolfe (Cindy)
Bank of the Ozarks
Classification: Banking, Commercial Lending
1051 E. Morehead St, Ste 250 (28204)
cwolfe@bankozards.com
704-714-7919