Please be sure to welcome our newest member, Stacie Reese.

She was inducted in May and came to us after a meeting in which she fulfilled her role as a Tennessee Promise mentor and was approached by president-elect Mark Kimbell.

“I was responsible for 10 students to make sure they could get into the college of their choice and meet all of the requirements to get the scholarship or grant,” Reese said. “A lot of them don’t understand the college admissions process or the ACT and how it works, nor do the parents. I take it really seriously.

“My first night with a group of students, (Mark’s) daughter was one of my seniors,” she said. “I introduced myself (to the students) and learned their goals, and at the end of the night, Mark stopped me and (he) was trying to explain the Rotary Club to me and…just asked me to come to lunch and try it out…he said he just couldn’t believe how I could take questions from everybody for the whole hour and have all the answers.”

Reece said the mentorship was just a natural way for her to give back to the community.

“I’ve done this all my adult life,” she said. “I’ve always helped out my neighbors – I’ve done their taxes, I’ve walked their kids through the ACT process, and more. I just want to help people reach their maximum potential and help them utilize all the resources that are out there to get them to their goal. To me, it’s really cool…to see kids thrive is really fulfilling to me. I love anything that is helping people.”

So why did she decide to come to Rotary?

“Mark was very passionate about it,” Reese said. “When I read about it, I saw all of the things that Rotary represents – not just here, but throughout the world – so I thought I would give it a chance.

“I enjoyed the people (at the first meeting she attended); everyone seems to bring something to the table, and I found other ways to help the community – I’m very community-oriented.”

She came back after more research, saying, “I read about all of the impact they have on polio, and I love the way they go into schools…and I enjoy seeing all the community interaction.”

And so she joined.

“I was very nervous at first, but everyone was so welcoming,” Reese said.

Reese is originally from Nashville. She moved to Hendersonville in 1989, but she has since exercised better judgment and is building a house in Gallatin – with a pool!

She has five children, Tyler Reese, 26, Michael Reese, 24, Madison Bellamy, 15, Reece Bellamy, 14, and Sidney Bellamy, who is eight.

Reese works in medical device sales and was was previously working in an operating room. She still has that certification and is the president of the Tennessee Association of Surgical Technology.

When asked about her goals about being a member of Rotary, Reese said, “I look forward to building relationships and growing and implementing more things to get more people involved in the community so they have a real understanding of the impact the Rotary club has on the community and the world.

“I want to reward kids who have good citizenship, (and) good behavior. I want to be able to say we’ve done all we can to leave a footprint where we can say we made the Gallatin community a better place.”

Kimbell said, “From the moment I met her, I just felt like it was meant to be (that she would be a good Rotarian).”

If you have not yet met Stacie, please introduce yourself to her; she is a good fit for our club and we’re lucky to have her.