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Older adults work toward fitness goals

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<p>Suppose you could make the lives of the Wyoming Valley&#8217;s disabled children and their families a bit better.</p><p>Or maybe provide area residents with easy access to a top-flight college. Or plop a public golf course right in the heart of the Valley, putting affordable recreation within reach of hardworking people.</p><p>You most likely would jump at the chance to play a role in just one of these community-enhancing projects, let alone lay claim to all three.</p><p>So, then, why not join an area civic group such as the Rotary Club? During a century of service, beginning in 1916, the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club&#8217;s members have powered an impressive list of projects that include supporting the startup of the Wyoming Valley Children&#8217;s Association, the area&#8217;s Penn State University campus and the city&#8217;s Hollenback Golf Course.</p><p>&#8220;The Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club has been a bedrock of community service in this region,&#8221; said club member Mark Riccetti Jr., director of operations and special events at the Luzerne County Historical Society.</p><p>Chartered by Rotary International, the local club intends to mark its 100th anniversary in June with a dinner at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. Not surprisingly, proceeds from the $100-per-ticket affair will benefit local charities. Rotarians, like their compatriots in other do-good organizations, typically find a way to make their gatherings count for more than the consumption of calories.</p><p>Regrettably, participation in the nation&#8217;s civic groups isn&#8217;t nearly as strong today as in prior decades, perhaps because young adults wrongly picture them as stereotypical, 1950s-era supper clubs. Increasingly, leaders are trying to shed that image. Among the tactics: Roll out the welcome mat for minorities and women, and get more flexible with scheduling, encouraging members to get together at hours that suit their lifestyles, not necessarily the 5 p.m dinner hour.</p><p>Seek out a local service club that fits your geographic and other criteria. <a href="https://www.rotary.org/en/search/club-finder" target="_blank">Rotary International&#8217;s club finder</a> indicates its groups in this region represent communities including Kingston, Plains Township, Plymouth, Mountain Top, Pittston, Dallas, Wyoming, Scranton, Freeland and Clarks Summit.</p><p>And that, of course, doesn&#8217;t begin to include the many other options available in Northeastern Pennsylvania, such as local affiliates of the <a href="http://www.gfwc.org/" target="_blank">General Federation of Women&#8217;s Clubs</a>, <a href="https://www.ajli.org/" target="_blank">Junior League</a>, <a href="http://www.kiwanis.org/" target="_blank">Kiwanis Club</a> and <a href="http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php" target="_blank">Lions Club</a>.</p><p>Together with like-minded people in these clubs, you can give our community more of what it needs: caring.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre President Bob Lawrence looks over the club&#8217;s charter, dated May 1, 1916. The club, whose members have been responsible through the years for many notable projects in the Wyoming Valley, intends to mark its 100th anniversary with a dinner in June at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Rotary.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre President Bob Lawrence looks over the club&#8217;s charter, dated May 1, 1916. The club, whose members have been responsible through the years for many notable projects in the Wyoming Valley, intends to mark its 100th anniversary with a dinner in June at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Join ranks of Rotary and other civic clubs shaping our communities