Exchange Club of Columbus

09/08/2026

09/07/2026

08/26/2026

Ready for the Hot Dog Jamboree? 🌭. Sure hope to see you there.

And fun news - we will be raffling off a beautiful Char Broil Grill! You can get a ticket or two or five now! You can Venmo or Zelle me or I will even pick up your money. This is a beautiful grill. All money raised from the grill stays in our community.

How many tickets do you want? 😁

08/19/2026

Corey Woods, CEO of the Puckett Center gave us a fascinating update today on the Center and all it offers. He started with giving us a little history of Colonel Puckett and then outlined the Center and all it offers.

To summarize - the COL Ralph Puckett Workforce Development Center is a purpose-built, student- and employer-centered hub of Columbus Technical College that connects veterans, service members, military families, and the broader Columbus community to education, credentials, and direct employment pathways. Operating as an extension of CTC and aligned with Georgia’s statewide VECTR network, the Puckett Center delivers flexible training, industry-driven programs, and wrap-around support that shorten the path from learning to meaningful work. By partnering with employers from the outset and focusing on high-demand, high-wage careers, the Center strengthens the regional workforce, retains military talent in the Chattahoochee Valley, and serves as a welcoming front door to opportunity for all who seek to learn, serve, and succeed.

What a wonderful addition to our community and especially to those in South Columbus. Take time to learn more about this awesome facility.

08/06/2026

Continuing with our America 250 theme, we were delighted to have Rick Johnson and his battle buddy, Bruce Brown, come talk to our club about the Wreaths Across America program. Rick manages the program for Fort Mitchell and Fort Benning. This is an awesome program started a few years ago by a family in Maine to honor veterans at the holidays. We encourage you to read more about this program. We were so excited that we are looking into helping sell wreaths. Rick has an amazing passion. Please take time to learn about this program.
Wreathsacrossamerica.org

07/30/2026

Who does not love a footlong hot dog! 🌭 🧋

07/29/2026

Our meeting was held at Covenant Wood retirement community. We were warmly greeted by Nona Christie and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Chef Lucy Greene. Our program was celebrating America’s 250th birthday and what better way then to meet an amazing Army Veteran. Brenda Clark introduced us to Retired Command Sergeant Major Lester Kapelka. At 98 years young, he captivated us with his history of service which started when he joined the Merchant Marines at 16 years old. He was drafted at 21 and served until retirement. He initially volunteered for airborne training because it gave him an extra $50 a month. But serving in airborne positions became his passion. While on active duty he had 486 jumps. He has jumped tandem the last four years for a grand total of 490 - his last jump at the age of 97! We loved meeting him and hearing his stories. We salute you Les!

07/12/2026

Time to come home! But before we headed out there was one last session, and that included the Youth of the Year, ACE, and Legacy winners. It was heartwarming to meet and see these young people.

The remainder of the day’s session was fundraising and finishing up.

Unfortunately, we were unable to stay for the installation dinner and see Fussell Hughes get installed as our National President, but it was time to come home.

See you all at the meeting this week on Wed!

07/11/2026

Day 3 started with a bang! The first session of the day was a session of awards and recognition and hearing from candidates running for office.
It was wonderful to see so many clubs and individuals from around Georgia receive recognition for their efforts. We were especially proud to see Rhonda Busby receive two significant recognitions. One was the Community Service Project for efforts in helping the victims of the fires in Brantley County several months ago; the other was for the Child Abuse Reduction Effort for the bluing of community fountains in April. Well done Rhonda! 👏🏆

In the afternoon we headed off to discover a bit of Omaha. We walked their marketplace and stopped for some “world famous” ice cream. 🍦Unfortunately our knees prevented us from going to the bridge where you stand with one foot in Nebraska and one in Iowa, but heck that’s not new to us with our bridges from Columbus to Phenix City. 🌉We all agree this is a beautiful city.

We ended the day with a wonderfully funny magician’s show, Brenda getting her caricature made, and then visited some hospitality rooms.

We are looking forward to Saturday’s events and then a return home! ✈️