Hendersonville Mayor Barbara G. Volk proclaimed February 23 as “Rotary International Day” during a recent meeting of the Hendersonville City Council.
On hand to receive a copy of the proclamation were representatives from both local Rotary clubs, including Milton Butterworth, president of the Rotary Club of Hendersonville, and Melissa Johnson, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Four Seasons.
The first Rotary meeting was held February 23, 1905, when founder Paul Harris invited three business acquaintances to join him in downtown Chicago. The name Rotary was decided based on the early practice of ‘rotating’ the meeting location between the different members’ offices.
Today, Rotary International is comprised of more than 30,000 clubs worldwide with 1.2 million members in more than 200 countries. Hendersonville hosts two clubs, the Rotary Club of Hendersonville and the Rotary Club of Four Seasons, with a combined membership of 175.
Following The Rotary Foundation motto of “Doing Good In the World,” Rotarians focus their volunteer and philanthropic efforts on six primary causes: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers & children, supporting education, and growing local economies. Rotary’s flagship program is PolioPlus, an effort to protect children against the disease with the goal of eradicating the disease from the three remaining endemic countries in the world.
The two Hendersonville Clubs have a day full of activities scheduled to celebrate this year’s Rotary Day including: Cheering on special needs athletes in an 8:30 am basketball game at the Henderson County Activity Center, Volunteering at the Smart Start Book Sale at Grace Lutheran Church (sale is 8-4), and co-hosting a 6:00 pm networking event at Bold Rock.
The Rotary Club of Hendersonville meets every Tuesday at noon at The Chariot on Church Street. Information on how to join, volunteer, support or donate can be found on Facebook and at hendersonvillerotary.com.
The Rotary Club of Four Seasons meets every Monday, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, at Olive or Twist on Barnwell Street. They also host a “satellite” meeting on the second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, at Mountain River Tap & Growlers next to the Asheville Regional Airport. For more information, follow the club on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.