Rotary Club of Moultrie
Have you heard of Rotary? Probably. The organization is a common household name, but what exactly is Rotary ? I’m glad you asked! I had an enlightening conversation with Anna Ford, the current president of the Rotary Club of Moultrie, and I want to tell you all about it!
Did you know Rotary is an International Organization?
Of course, it started small in 1905 with four men who rotated meetings among each other’s offices, hence the name Rotary. Paul Harris, Gustave Loehr, Silvester Schiele and Hiram Shorey founded the Rotary Club as a service and networking organization for professional leaders to bring peace around the world through humanitarian services. By 1912 it became International Association of Rotary Club. In 1922 the official name became Rotary International. Today there are local chapters all over the world.
What does Rotary International do?
Two official mottos were adopted in the early 1900s. Service Above Self and One Profits Most Who Serves Best. Today the Rotary International vision statement is – “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” And they aren’t just talk, they do just that! Their programs provide clean water, grow local economies, promote peace, fight disease, support education and so much more! In 1985 they began their goal of eradicating polio all over the world and today polio is an endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
What happens at the club level?
Local clubs unite leaders from all walks of life with local organizations to provide their communities with humanitarian services. The Rotary Club of Moultrie is one of those clubs and they will be celebrating 100 years in May!
How does the Rotary Club of Moultrie help their community?
For the Rotary Club of Moultire helping kids and the education system is one of their many contributions to the community. Their involvement in the Forgotten Initiative program helps purchase items for kids transitioning into foster care. They partnered with the Moultrie Junior Women’s Club and The Rotary Foundation for the Kicks for Kids project. This project worked with social workers to provide shoes to kids in the local school systems. Through the partnerships and the Rotary Foundation Grant 235 pair of shoes were supplied to children. The Rotary Club of Moultrie also enjoyed providing assistance to the school system’s Story Walk project. Story Walk is a national concept where the pages of a book are made into signs and installed in parks or downtown areas of a community. It is an interactive journey to encourage reading. At the end of the walk the kids are able to take the book home with them. The Rotary Club of Moultrie provided the books and put smiles on kids’ little faces! They also have used Rotary Foundation Grants in the past to help the school districts with small renovations like new paint. They even helped restore one of the school’s gazebos.
Other projects include providing food to families in need through opportunities like the USDA Farmers to Families. This project involved a partnership with the United Way of Colquit County, The Rotary Club of Moultrie, Trinity Baptist, and many other community members. The program helped donate 1,100 boxes of food to families in need. Club members also recently collected and donated over 200 lbs of canned goods and fresh produce to the Colquitt County Food Bank for this year’s holiday season.
In addition to the many partnerships, they host events to honor people in the community and luncheons with special guest for education on different important topics. For example, they host a function to honor law enforcement awarding an officer with the Law Enforcement Appreciation Award as well as the Salute to Service event for high school seniors who have chosen to enter into the military.
How can you get involved and make a difference?
Whew, I thought you’d never ask! To participate at a local level with The Rotary Club of Moultrie contact Anna Ford at anna.r.ligon@gmail.com or join one of their weekly meetings on Tuesdays at noon at the Sunset Country Club.
To get involved internationally visit https://www.rotary.org/en.
Written by: Erica Thrift
Health Life Magazine 