China’s Mingde High School teachers and students were welcomed by Sandy Springs Rotarians during the October 5, 2015 luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs. The students are from City of Sandy Springs’ sister city of Taicang, China. The Chinese students are attending North Springs Charter High School for one week and are being hosted by families of the high school's students. The visit was a unique opportunity for the Rotary Club of Sandy Springs to apply Rotary International’s 2015-2016 worldwide theme, “Be A Gift To The World.” The Chinese students enjoyed an “American Cookout” lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers, and a program by the Chattahoochee Nature Center which included a live, female falcon. One student delivered a speech to the club which can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mXa1pGC8xI Most likely, it was the first Rotary meeting for these students, who were very interested in the international and community service works of Rotary. According to Rotary in China’s website (
http://www.rotarychina.org/about-rotary-china/), Rotary has charted Rotary Clubs in four Chinese cities: Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Suzhou, with “provisional” clubs in Dalian, Nanning, and Tianjin. For more photos of the event, go to