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Well-attended Game Night benefits Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bridge

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‘River of the Year’ flows through Wilkes-Barre; Susquehanna River wins contest with most public votes

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The purpose of community service is to have a positive impact on the community served.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club could be the model for others to follow.</p><p>Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the club continues to help organizations in the community in a big way.</p><p>Even more impressive is the club&#8217;s historical record.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club was chartered on May 1, 1916. That same year, it played an integral role in bringing Penn State University to the city.</p><p>When Penn State Wilkes-Barre kicked off its year-long celebration of the Lehman campus&#8217; centennial anniversary at the F.M. Kirby Center late last year, it provided a brief summary of the history of the institution&#8217;s arrival in Wyoming Valley:</p><p>&#8220;One of the oldest campuses in the Penn State system, Penn State Wilkes-Barre began its 100 years in the Wyoming Valley in the fall of 1916. After being contacted by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and the newly established Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club, Penn State began to hold evening classes at Coughlin High School. Proposed as an engineering center that provided education to meet the needs of the local anthracite mining industry, the response from the local community was overwhelming and classes began with 150 students. From Coughlin, Penn State Wilkes-Barre moved into a semi-permanent space at the Guthrie Building which now houses Inter-Metro. The campus remained there until the mid-1960s when the current location in Lehman was donated by the Robinson family.&#8221;</p><p>That alone is an incredible accomplishment for a service club like the Wilkes-Barre Rotary. What is even more astonishing is that is just one of the many significant contributions the club has made to the community it serves.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Rotary also helped with the establishment of the Wyoming Valley Children&#8217;s Association. This is what the WVCA website has to say:</p><p>&#8220;Wyoming Valley Children&#8217;s Association began in 1923 when members of the Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre expressed a desire to help handicapped children. By 1924, the Association was officially organized as Wyoming Valley Crippled Children&#8217;s Association and orthopedic clinics were being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Harry A. Smith, assisted by Dr. J. Torrence Rugh, Dr. Louis W. Jones and other consultants.</p><p>&#8220;In addition to serving on the agency&#8217;s Board of Directors, Rotarians volunteered their time and resources to transport children from all areas of Luzerne County so the children could be treated at the clinics. And today, area Rotary Clubs continue to hold special events for the children, fundraisers and personally donate to help sustain the agency.&#8221;</p><p>This sort of community service &#8212; as Rotary says, &#8220;Service Above Self&#8221; &#8212; falls in line with Rotary International, credited for all but eradicating polio in the world.</p><p>Since 1985, Rotary and its partners have helped reduce the number of polio cases from 350,000 annually to fewer than 400 in 2014 and they remain committed until the disease is eradicated.</p><p>Rotary has contributed more than $1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2 billion children worldwide. In addition, Rotary&#8217;s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute over $10 billion to the effort.</p><p>Since Rotary introduced its PolioPlus campaign, the number of polio cases worldwide has dropped 99 percent, and the virus remains endemic in just three countries &#8212; Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.</p><p>In its earliest years, the club purchased a truck for the 109th Field Artillery, said H. Merritt Hughes, the club&#8217;s historian. Hughes said the club played a key role in the establishment of the Hollenback Golf Course, the perpetuation of the Osterhout Library, scholarships for students attending Wilkes University, King&#8217;s College and Penn State University.</p><p>Club member Mark Riccetti Jr., director of operations and special events at the Luzerne County Historical Society, said the club has been extremely influential.</p><p>&#8220;Through all of this club&#8217;s existence, you can still see its fingerprints on Wyoming Valley,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are numerous community ties. This club has sustained 100 years of significant and meaningful service. The Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club has been a bedrock of community service in this region.&#8221;</p><p>Charles Davis, chancellor at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and a club member, put it simply.</p><p>&#8220;Penn State wouldn&#8217;t be here in the area if it weren&#8217;t for this club,&#8221; Davis said.</p><p>Donna Sedor, development director at WVCA, said the agency has been in existence for 91 years and the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club has supported it from Day 1.</p><p>Rotary was founded in 1905 in Chicago. The Wilkes-Barre club became the organization&#8217;s 217th member in 1916. The club has an exemplary record of service and Hughes said the club&#8217;s endowment is &#8220;a couple hundred thousand dollars.&#8221;</p><p>Tommy Thomas joined the club many years ago at age 21. He has served as a past district governor, as well.</p><p>&#8220;If you drive around this city, you see the names of streets and buildings,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Many of those names were once members of this Rotary club. My point is that this club has seen many people come together on a friendly basis and they have accomplished great things.&#8221;</p><p>An anniversary dinner will be held June 25 at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. The public is invited to attend. Tickets are $100 each with proceeds benefiting local charities.</p><p>Bob Lawrence, club president, said the dinner will showcase the club and its accomplishments.</p><p>&#8220;Come out and enjoy,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Hughes said the late George Ralston would ask for people to come out and sing.</p><p>&#8220;And he would then add, if you can&#8217;t sing, make some joyful noise,&#8221; Hughes said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The original charter of the Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre dated May 1, 1916. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516WBRotary_bob_CHARTER-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>The original charter of the Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre dated May 1, 1916. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516WBRotary_bob_BOBLAWRENCEWITHCHARTER-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre President Bob Lawrence looks over the club&#8217;s charter dated May 1, 1916, at the club&#8217;s weekly meeting Tuesday at the Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL011516WBRotary_bob_BOBLAWRENCEWITHCHARTER-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre President Bob Lawrence looks over the club&#8217;s charter dated May 1, 1916, at the club&#8217;s weekly meeting Tuesday at the Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Local club was chartered on May 1, 1916</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club celebrating 100 years of service to community