Rotary Holds Changing of the Guard Party
by Dorrice Hammer
July 15, 2010, pg 22

The Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary Club held its annual Changing of the Guard party July 1 at Shelburne Farms Coach Barn. Linda G. Gilbert of Red Tail Lane was installed as the incoming president for 2010-11.

The Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary was formed in 1971, with Charlotte resident Roy G. Thorpe spearheading the new club and becoming its first president. Other Charlotters who were charter members of the club were Richard K. Clark, Jackson J.W. Clemmons, Walter K. Companion, Murray Foote, Albert Gecewiez, John E. Hancock, C. John Holmes, William C. Horsford, Sr., Richard M. Jensen, Samuel A. McLoughlin, Richard J. Poinsett, Hugh B. Ramsden, Francis J. (Frank) Thornton, Harry Varney, Jr., Arnold D. Waller and Jason Arthur Wark. This new club of only 27 members gave Charlotte $2,500 toward its first fire truck.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards, and help build goodwill and world peace. More than 30,000 clubs of 1.2 million members belong to Rotary in over 160 countries across the world. These clubs meet weekly and are open to both men and women, are nonpolitical, nonreligious and open to all cultures, races and creeds.

You’ve no doubt seen the current 65 Charlotte-Shelburne Rotarians serving pancake breakfasts or grilling hotdogs for local nonprofits, organizing Shelburne’s Halloween parade, parking cars at the Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival and providing turkeys for the Food Shelves for holidays. What you may not have seen are their fundraising efforts that make possible scholarships and international service, like their Hands to Honduras-Tela program and the Rotary International polio eradication effort. Service above Self is the Rotary motto, and this Rotary Club believes in having a good time while wholeheartedly serving its community.

Breakfast meetings are held every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church hall in Shelburne. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary is encouraged to attend and can do so by contacting any current member of the club.