Byesville Rotary celebrates Rotary Awareness Month

Pictured: Byesville Rotary members who volunteered to participate in the weekly program—front row: Phyllis Jeffries, Dennis Harding, Evelyn Spring, Rich Dair, Barb Dair; second row: Carl Keefer, Jan Wilson, Jim Bakos, Bob Long, Darlene Miser, Oziel Jeffries, Marti Patchen, Jim Vaughan, Sharon Miller, Shana Fair, Larry Miller, Chuck Fair, Tanya Hitchens, Rich Goodwin, Nellie Bichard, Dan Navicky, Randy Launder, Don Valentine, and Dalton Summers.

An average of 62% non-Rotarians recognizes the Rotary name. Only 37% of this group has some idea about what Rotary does. Byesville Rotarians hope to increase the number of people who know what Rotary does by doing what they do best—giving back to their community.

Byesville Rotary—like all Rotary clubs—is an organization of people who are service oriented and who support the goal of making the world a better place through projects focusing on water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, economic and community development, and peace and conflict resolution. Most clubs begin with service projects in their own communities.

Byesville Rotarians supported education and literacy by donating dictionaries to Rolling Hills third graders, donating books to Bright Beginnings, and providing scholarships for Rolling Hills graduates. They worked to improve health by sponsoring an annual Health Fair in association with SEORMC. Club members contributed to economic and community development by contributing to local projects such as the Guernsey County Trail and Byesville Scenic Railway. Other local projects included their Christmas Food Basket Program and support for organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters, Byesville Volunteer Fire Department, and VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Larry Miller, January Program Chair, celebrated Rotary Awareness Month by inviting club members to participate in an interactive program. Members were asked to share the reason they choose to join Rotary International, why they decided to join Byesville Rotary rather than another Rotary club in area, and what caused each member to have an “aha" moment about Rotary.

Almost all members agreed one reason each chose Byesville was because the club involved members in hands on service projects such as local service projects like the club’s Byesville Rotary Gazebo Park clean up or the club’s signature chicken BBQnfundraiser.

Some said they chose to join Rotary because they liked how the “Four Way Test” encouraged Rotarians to behave ethically in their daily business and personal lives. Others stated they chose to join Byesville because the group is open, friendly, and members like to laugh.

Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-685-8294.