WAYNESBORO–The Rotary Club of Waynesboro celebrated its 100th Anniversary on Nov. 16 at the Waynesboro Country Club.
The club was established April 22,1920 and the celebration came after multiple delays caused by the COVID pandemic.
The evening consisted of an hour of cocktails, dinner and a series of speakers.
Rotary International is the oldest service organization in the world with membership of 1.2 million in 34,000 clubs. Their motto, “service before self”, sets a high standard for individual and club performance. Over the century of its existence, the Waynesboro club has positively influenced the surrounding community with accomplishments including: Building Rotary Park; Initiating Summer Jubilee; Completing clean drinking water, education and skill training projects in Goa India; Building a school in Honduras; Initiating Youth League Baseball; Organizing the Waynesboro Marching Band; Providing annual need-, merit- and vocational- Scholarships every year; Conducting “Toys for Children”; and many more each year.
Dr. Bob Zimmerman was Master of Ceremonies for an evening organized by 50-year member Rick Boyer.
It featured displays of club memorabilia assembled by Boyer, and remarks by Orsini and current club president Tod Kline.
Keynote speakers included: Former President Jason Piatt who’s initiative in the early 2000s provided drinking water and the opportunity for the lowest classes of girls in Goa India to improve their lives; Former President Jim Rock who initiated efforts to finance, and subsequently managed construction of Rotary Park over several years; Former President Dan DeDona speaking about the character of the club as reflected in events such as the annual Battle of the Minds; Former President Joe Stewart who discussed how in 1988 Rotary International and the World Health Organization launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative; Former President Zimmerman spoke on behalf of Dr Greg Lyon-Loftus on club-sponsored construction of a school house in Honduras; and Zimmerman also spoke about Rotarian Dr. James Teeter, who for 39 years served in remote medical practices throughout the world for several months each year with his wife, Mae. This provided relief for doctors who would not otherwise get a break from their practices, and also led to an organization providing the same services worldwide.
