Los Banos Rotary Club History
Rotary changes leadership

By Ken Barber
As of last week, Colleen Menefee became the newly elected President of the Rotary Club, a service club made of men and women of business (and the 1st service club in the world at that!) With around 30 members in her District (#5220) and being a member of the Los Banos School Board, Colleen has her hands full. Speaking about the Rotary Club, Colleen said, "It is a good way to share professionally an understanding of what people do in their lives."

Accountants, probation officers, attorneys, school district members, banking, farmers, Merced College members, a newspaper publisher, hospital administrators, other businesses- the Rotary Club has members in a wide variety of positions (with a little more than a million members worldwide.) The organization has given scholarships to graduating high school students, donations to the Salvation Army, and a stipend to one Merced College Student of the Month. Colleen added, "We helped out with sober graduation, D.A.R.E., and helped to support financially the Boy Scouts (Troop #85) and Cub Scouts. We've applied for and received a grant for $10,000 to help improve the library in which we are going to purchase for them books and do a weekly storytime reading for the children," She paused. "The time I was most impressed was when we went to the President Elect's and I was overwhelmed by the number of people (Rotary members) involved. I heard stories from other members and what humanitarian efforts they did worldwide." Later on she adds, "We also sponsor the High School Interact Club."

One special service that the Rotary Club provides to the world is Polio Plus. This program has been working with international health organizations in an attempt to eradicate the horrible disease, polio, from the world by the year 2005. To date, over a billion children have been immunized from polio through Rotary grants.
The main principles of the Rotary Club is 1.) the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; 2.) high ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society; 3.) the application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community; and 4.) the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

What future awaits the Rotary Club? "We try to hold programs that are meaningful, learn about occupations, traveling, and people's hobbies worldwide," said Colleen. "We are eventually going to start profiling one member each month to get to know them better. I also want to build our club, increase membership, learn more about Rotary, what it does, and what it can do."

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