By Kathy Oswalt-Forsythe
The Rotary Club of Vicksburg celebrated 100 years of service with a special dinner and celebration. Nearly 100 people attended the event at R & R. Attendees enjoyed the conversation and program, including a visual history presentation by Rotarian Charlie Church.
Fifteen local men founded the Rotary Club of Vicksburg May 24, 1924 to promote cooperation among businessmen and to provide service to the community. In the early days, Rotarians drove children to therapy appointments and funded kids’ eyeglasses. Service projects grew to include funding athletic facilities, improving the Clark Park waterway, library, community center, and village hall. By joining Rotary International, the club has also contributed to global inoculation and clean water projects.
Several years ago, the Rotary Club of Vicksburg established an endowment fund through the Kalamazoo Community Foundation to ensure the ability to continue funding local projects. This fund is over $200,000 and growing.
Over 300 members have joined the Rotary Club of Vicksburg over the last 100 years. In the past 70 years, the club has contributed over $800,000 to projects in the greater Vicksburg area. For many years, the Showboat was the main fundraiser to support service projects, but as times and audiences changed, the Showboat’s run ended and the Rotary Scrap Metal Project was born. In three years, the “Scrappers” have collected over 140 tons of scrap which has generated $38,000 for the endowment and future projects.
From the first club president, John Dougherty, to current club president Mike Wunderlin, the club has continued to serve with the motto “Service Above Self.”
