When people hear about the Rotary organization, many know the name – but many may not know about what the group does.
Rotary International is a national service organization, with chapters across the United States. One of the active chapters in the area is the Woodbridge Rotary Club.
Members of the club meet each week at Westminster at Lake Ridge, to share stories and plan fundraisers, events, and think of other ways to help the community and organizations in need.
“One of the things that impressed me was that not only were they doing things locally – supporting the local charities like ACTS – the main thing that interested me was the program that they had to eradicate polio throughout the world…the [national] Rotary has provided a significant amount of money to eradicate polio in other parts of the world,” said Stuart Mitchell – a 30-year member of the group.
For other members, the Woodbridge Rotary has been a major source of support.
“My reason for staying in the [Woodbridge] Rotary all this time is that it’s been a great support group. If you join the Rotary because you want to get money out of it, or sales or something – forget it. That’s not what it’s all about,” said Bill Evans, who has been with the group for 50-years.
Joining the Rotary has also been a way for some to meet new people and get more engaged in the community.
“I joined Rotary because somebody asked me to. And the reason that I was interested was that my career up to that point had been in the Army for 20 years…and I didn’t know anything about what was going on in the community. And I figured if I joined something like Rotary, I’d meet new people from all walks of life,” said Mitchell.
At their most recent meeting, the Woodbridge Rotary presented the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with a $1,000 check, but they have helped several organizations over the years.
The next project for the Woodbridge Rotary is their 11th annual golf tournament on June 19 at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge. The group – who are still looking for sponsors and participants – will be using the event to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club, Project Mend-A-House and other local groups.
This post is sponsored by Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire.
