Bentonville Rotary Named Club Of Year

BENTONVILLE — The Rotary Club of Bentonville has been named 2012-13 large club of the year for District 6110.

The district covers clubs in parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The large club designation is for clubs with 76 members or more.

Rogers Early Risers were named club of the year in District 6110 in the small-medium class (26 to 47 members).

Jayne Lowe, outgoing Bentonville club president, said it was an honor to receive the recognition. She said the group worked hard to earn the achievement. The club’s fiscal year ends Sunday.

The club participates in a number of charitable causes, including the Snack Packs for Kids program through the Samaritan Community Center in Rogers.

“Rotary partnered with us several years ago,” said Debbie Rambo, executive director of the center. “They have been a real key in gathering food through food drives and raising money so we can buy food.”

Snack Packs for Kids provides backpacks of food for children to take home after school if they face food insecurity at home. The program services about 6,500 children through 90 schools in Northwest Arkansas, Rambo said. She said the Rotary Club has been a big help providing food, purchasing bins and even helping to fill the backpacks.

“They’re pretty gung-ho,” she said. “They’re true blue consistent, one of our more consistent partners.”

The 89-year-old club provided $15,000 in scholarships to graduating Bentonville High School seniors, Lowe said. It helps cultivate future leaders through its Interact program, the youth version of Rotary International.

The local Interact group participated in a speech contest to demonstrate the four tenets of the club. The tenets revolve around truth, fairness, goodwill and finding a beneficial solution for all, according to the Rotary International website. The local winner was one of the top five finishers in the district that includes 82 clubs. Members of the Interact club also participated in a youth leadership camp.

The Bentonville Rotary Club’s international outreach extends to the Dominican Republic, where a school was able to purchase a stove, refrigerator, computer and gas cylinders with money provided. The club raised the money through its annual pork shoulder sales and donations.

Locally, the club gave $25,000 to the National Child Protection Training Center at NorthWest Arkansas Community College and helped host an international student exchange.

“We’ve done a lot this year,” Lowe said.

The club’s membership grew by 11 to 105 members the past year, she said. The group meets at noon Wednesdays at Doe’s in Bentonville.

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