Waynesburg Rotary raises funds for scholarships, community programs
Editor’s note: This article is a part of Helping the Helpers, our annual series to raise awareness for nonprofits throughout the area.
Since 1936, the Rotary Club of Waynesburg has been working to enhance the lives of those who call Greene County home, with a special focus on its young people.
“One of our largest initiatives is four, $1,000 scholarships that are awarded to two Greene County Career and Technology Center (CTC) students and two open to any student in Greene County. That’s where most of our fundraising goes,” Bridget Vilenica, president of the Waynesburg Rotary Club, said.
Club members also have a passion for literacy. Members read “Andy & Elmer’s Apple Dumpling Adventure,” written by Rotarians in Ohio, to each third-grade class in the county’s five school districts.
“It’s based on the principles of the Rotary, and we talk about those principles with the students – qualities we think everyone should live by,” Vilenica said.
The global network of an estimated 45,000 Rotary International clubs espouses the motto “Service above self,” encouraging members to focus on finding ways to help others.
Some of the service projects undertaken by members of the Waynesburg chapter include volunteering at Corner Cupboard Food Bank in Waynesburg and hosting the Flags for Heroes program, which displays American flags at the county fairgrounds on Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.
In addition, Rotarians help raise funds for the Salvation Army by ringing bells during its Red Kettle Campaign, and purchase gifts for children through the organization’s Angel Tree program.
Vilenica said most individuals who become Rotarians have a prior connection. She’s a third-generation Rotarian, having had a father and grandfather in the club before her. Vilenica said she chose to join the Rotary as a way to get more involved in Greene County.
So have others, she said. The club has continued to gain members, even as many service organizations have experienced a decline in membership.
As to what makes the Waynesburg club such a special one, Vilenica said it comes down to the Rotary mission: “It’s a desire to help the community.”
Anyone can attend a meeting to learn more. The Waynesburg Rotary Club meets every Monday at noon at Waynesburg Moose Lodge 461, 140 S. Morgan St., Waynesburg.
Donations to the literacy and scholarship programs can be sent to Waynesburg Rotary Club, P.O. Box 290, Waynesburg, Pa., 15370.