The Rotary Club of Charleston is celebrating its 100th anniversary on October 19, 2015 with a luncheon to be held at the University of Charleston in the Geary Student Union from 11:45a to 1:30p.
Current president Ben Beakes says, “Fortunately for the Rotary Club of Charleston, W.Va. we have been blessed with 100 years of great people–servants who wanted the best for their community and humankind. As I reflect on our centennial I’m reminded of what a former boss told me, ‘Twenty, thirty, or forty years from now nobody will remember that we were here,’ she said. ‘Our job is to leave this place better than when we came.’”
The Rotary Club of Charleston is part of Rotary International, a service organization with over 33,000 clubs and approximately 1.2 million members worldwide. Founded by Paul Harris in Chicago in 905, Rotary International has helped reduce incidents of polio worldwide and provide clean water in undeserved populations. The Rotary Club of Charleston has 215 members and welcomes those who are interested in becoming a Rotarian.
Each local club, in addition to its participation internationally, commits to projects within its own community. For its initiatives in 2014-15, Rotary International President Gary Hwong awarded the Presidential Citation to the Rotary Club of Charleston for success in each of five Rotary categories of Club Service, Community Service, International Service, Vocational Service, and Youth Service.
The Rotary Club of Charleston’s inaugural community service project for its next century is WV Health Right’s Teaching Kitchen. WV Health Right is a free and charitable clinic providing quality healthcare to uninsured, under-insured, and medically undeserved patients in West Virginia. The club and its members pledged $25,000 for WV Health Right’s Teaching Kitchen Project that will teach its patients healthy meal preparation skills.
The Rotary Club of Charleston meets on Mondays every week at noon at the Charleston Civic Center, Room 105. In addition to weekly fellowship, the club presents speakers with local and international topics. This year’s Centennial Celebration will feature historian Stan Bumgardner who will discuss business and life in Charleston in 1915.
Those interested in learning more about Rotary Club of Charleston or desiring to attend the centennial celebration should contact club secretary Deb Coffman at debcoffman@suddenlink.net or online at
www.charlestonrotary.com.
