After much deliberation, the steering committee for the Tony Wright Memorial Student Weekend in Columbus, scheduled for September 10-12, has made the decision to cancel the event. Georgia Rotary Student Program District 6900 Chair Ian Bond stated that decision was difficult to make but the committee recognized the surge in COVID-19 cases and wanted to protect the wellbeing of our students and Rotarians. The event will not be rescheduled. Mr. Bond thanked participants for their understanding during this difficult time and wished them good health.
The GRSP Student Weekend in Savannah, which was slated for October 15-17, 2021 has also been canceled. Jim Drake, past GRSP chair, has coordinated the longstanding Hue Thomas Jr. Weekend for 14 years and has always enjoyed showcasing his historical hometown. Drake said Savannah’s heavy tourism town has witnessed an increased number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The uptick in COVID cases combined with the highly contagious Delta variant and the lower-than-average vaccination rates in Savannah were driving factors in the cancellation in an effort to protect the wellbeing of our students and Rotarians. The event will not be rescheduled. Drake strongly advocates taking preventative measures recommended by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which states that everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination, practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and stay away from large groups of people to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
For updates, please continue to check your email and the GRSP student/host family calendar on the resources tab on the GRSP website: https://www.grsp.org/resources.