Kentland Rotary
Posted by Patrick Leahy
For seventy-seven years, Kentland Rotary has been a service club, and as Rotarians, we seek opportunities to serve others around our community, through our vocations, and with international partnerships. In recent years, our club’s service activities have focused on contributions to the Rotary Foundation and our own scholarship program for South Newton High School graduates and adults from within our community. Since 1994 our club has provided 205 scholarships worth $199,100. This past year, the club successfully conducted our 21st Annual Truck Raffle, which continues to enable us to fund our scholarship program as well as community improvements in Kentland, the Heart 2 Heart program connecting the Heart of America with the Heart of Mexico (District 4170), and Rotary International’s PolioPlus program which is focused on the worldwide eradication of the deadly Polio virus. The club annually sponsors 5 local youth to attend the 3 day annual Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) at Camp Tecumseh and our own Students in Government and Business Day as well as assisting the Interact Club at South Newton High School. Other local projects that the club commits both time and finances include: the Kentland food pantry, Christmas food vouchers, bagging groceries at Murphy’s Food King, Halloween Carnival, three annual pancake breakfasts, and at least one local community project. In recent years community projects have been wheel chair ramp builds for individuals, cleaning up and landscaping the town signs, painting the walking bridge at the community center, reconditioning the basketball court, and donating to the community pool project. The Kentland Rotary Club is looking forward to its seventy-eighth year of service to the Kentland community and around the world.
Kentland Rotary is a part of Rotary International. Rotary International was started over 110 years ago in Chicago Illinois and is based on guiding principles that have been the foundation of our values: service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. These principals have allowed the service organization to grow to over 125 countries worldwide. It has also allowed the organization to be recognized as 1 of the 10 most efficient philanthropic organizations in the world because of its unique ability to use local members to identify local needs and complete local projects using worldwide resources. Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. Rotary members have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From education and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world through our communities, and we stay committed to the end.
After seventy-seven years, the Kentland club changed its' noon luncheon meeting from Monday to Tuesday to strive to enable more participation from the Kentland area. The club is always inviting participation from individuals and companies in our community. Currently 26 active members share a 20 minute program each Tuesday while enjoying comradery and a good meal from 12:00 to 1:00. So, we invite any interested individuals to contact us to find out more about how this small club contributes back over $20,000 annually to the local community and well over $9,000 annually to from member donations to the district and international Rotary Foundation. We are always looking for individuals and companies interested in providing help for worthy causes through community service. Most of all we want to share why Kentland Rotarians enjoy our meetings and how we accomplish so much annually with an efficiently shared effort of good will.