This year’s Rotary Day will mark the 114-year anniversary of the founding of Rotary International, the oldest and one of the largest non-profit service organizations in the world. Mayor Mannheimer recently read part of the proclamation and presented it to the club.
There are over 1.2 million Rotary club members, representing professional and business leaders in over 32,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas. Rotary funds club projects and sponsors volunteers with community expertise to provide medical supplies, health care, clean water, food production, job training, and education to millions in need, particularly in developing countries.
The Rotary Club of Asheville is one of the oldest Rotary clubs in the world. Founded in 1915 as the third club in North Carolina, it is the largest Rotary Club in Western North Carolina and has sponsored six successive clubs in Asheville. For 104 years the club has epitomized its motto of “Service Above Self” across the city and region.
In recent years, Asheville Rotarians have volunteered thousands of hours and donated millions of dollars to support multiple service projects including “Rotarians Against Hunger” which has provided over three million meals to needy Western North Carolina families. The club has provided leadership, volunteers, and resources to support numerous local non-profits, like the Blue Ridge Honor Flight which has flown over 3,000 deserving war veterans to Washington, DC to visit their memorials.
Asheville Rotarians continue to serve Asheville and the world by funding scholarships for needy students, sending medical teams to Central America, providing school supplies and tutoring for underprivileged youth, sorting and packing of meals at local food banks, offering educational scholarships for single moms, and executing a myriad of other beneficial projects.
The club’s approximately 150 members meet every Thursday at 12:30 pm at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. Anyone interested can attend. Visit www.rotaryasheville.org for additional information.