O'Neill Rotary Celebrates 30 Years Of Community Service

ROTARY HELP -was given to the O'Neill Public School music program. Pictured are Charter Members Phil Gildersleeve and Steve Flaherty. Pictured center is Dick Davis, O'Neill music program director.

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ROTARY HELP -was given to the O'Neill Public School Drug Free Team. Pictured are Charter Members Jack Henderson and Thurman (Dutch) Gay.

The O'Neill Rotary Club has reached an impressive landmark of service to the community. The chapter was chartered 30 years ago on Nov. 24, 1992. Over the last 30 years, over 150 community members have pledged themselves to the motto “Service Above Self”. Ron Anderson is the only active Rotarian who was among the first 42 members to charter the chapter. Over the years, generations of family members have been members, including MJ Kersenbrock, a founding member, and John Kersenbrock, a currently active member.

Through the years, the O'Neill Rotary Club has supported a wide variety of community service activities such as sponsoring the Dolly Parton Library, sponsoring group swimming lessons, supporting the building of the Northeast Community College satellite campus, sponsoring numerous high school scholarships, semiannual support of the Adopt-A-Highway Program, and a host of other programs to benefit our community. The Club has also sponsored the Shamrock Fun Run at the St. Patrick's celebration for many of the past 30 years, last year being the 40th anniversary of the Fun Run. They have hosted Rotary exchange students and donated to international causes, including eradicating polio throughout the world, supporting water projects in third world countries, and most recently supporting Girls Empowered, a program that provides feminine hygiene products to women in Africa.

The Club is celebrating its anniversary with a dinner and drinks for anyone who has ever been a member of the club on Friday, December 2nd at 5 p.m. at the Evergreen Independent Living Center, 300 Jeanette Way, O'Neill. Following the dinner, all members are encouraged to attend the lighted Hometown Christmas parade in which the Club's High School Interact Club has decorated a float that all past and current members are encouraged to ride on. We sincerely hope that the O'Neill Rotary Club will be celebrating many more anniversaries and continue to provide support to our community. Anyone interested in learning more about this worthy club, please contact a member or visit our Facebook page.

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