ATLANTA (Oct. 21, 2014) – Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Rotary Club of Buckhead is thanking local educators in an iconic way: by polishing red apples and placing them on teachers’ desks. Buckhead Rotarians held the first Apple Polishing in 1973, setting an annual tradition. Forty-one years and more than 100,000 apples later, Buckhead Rotary is just as committed to honoring the men and women who are called to invest their time and talents in future generations.

“Tonight we’re polishing apples for our teachers – those who work hard every day to make our children’s futures shine,” said Buckhead Rotary President Elizabeth Gill. “This time-honored event is a simple but heartfelt expression of our gratitude.”

At this year’s event, school superintendents Robert Avossa and Michael Thurmond from Fulton County and Dekalb County, respectively, will roll up their sleeves to polish apples alongside hundreds of Rotarians, including Rotary International President Gary Huang from Taiwan. President Huang’s visit comes as a great honor to the Rotary Club of Buckhead and other Atlanta-area clubs, as they are among the select few out of 34,000 Rotary clubs internationally Huang will visit this year. Rotary International Director Robert Hall, past president of the Dunwoody Rotary Club and honorary member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, helped secure this opportunity. Huang will speak about Rotary’s commitment to education and to educators in communities around the world.

While polishing 3,000 apples each year is a gesture, Rotarians’ commitment to education is real. Over the course of a five-year period, the Rotary Club of Buckhead, alone, has given approximately $125,000 to the literacy programs of two educational partners in Atlanta: KIPP South Fulton Academy and GEEARS. This financial commitment comes with over five hundred hours of community service from many Rotarian volunteers.

Buckhead Rotary has invited members of 11 other Atlanta-area Rotary clubs to join in the Apple Polishing this year. Other participating Rotary clubs include Atlanta, Atlanta West End, Brookhaven, Decatur, Dunwoody, Emory-Druid Hills, Midtown, North Atlanta, Northlake, Stone Mountain and South Dekalb. Rotary is a group of business leaders who work together to positively impact their communities and world. By shining apples for local teachers, business leaders from these clubs are celebrating the everyday heroes who are at the core of that mission.

Buckhead Rotarian Walter Allen attended the original apple polishing event in 1973 and will be polishing apples again this year. “The best part happens Wednesday morning, when we deliver these shiny apples and thank-you notes to the schools,” Allen said. “Special teachers all over Atlanta will smile, knowing that Rotarians notice and appreciate them.”

About The Rotary Club of Buckhead

The Rotary Club of Buckhead was founded in 1951 to unite leaders from all walks of life, amplifying the individual contributions of members to make Atlanta and the world a better place to live and to work. The club meets each Monday for a 12:15 p.m. lunch at Maggiano’s Buckhead. For more information, visit www.buckheadrotary.com.