Rotary International celebrates 110th anniversary Feb. 23

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STEPHENVILLE (February 23, 2015) — Rotary International (RI) President Gary Huang likes to quote Confucius: “It is better to light a single candle than to sit and curse the darkness.”

Monday, February 23, 2015, marks the 110-year anniversary of lighting up the world as an organization that brings together professionals with diverse backgrounds so they may exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and serve. With over 1.2 million members and over 34,500 clubs around the world, RI’s service has included contributing more than $1.3 billion to fight polio. Just last January, RI released an additional $34.8 million in grants to support polio immunization activities in 10 countries. As RI says, “We are this close” to ending polio.

Locally, the Stephenville Chapter, under the leadership of President Moumin Quazi, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in English at Tarleton, serves its community by posting flags around the town on major holidays, delivering Meals on Wheels weekly, giving scholarships to local high school student leaders and Tarleton students studying abroad, and a host of other activities. This year, Rotary Stephenville delivered 40 pre-paid gift cards totaling over $2,500 to the five local counties’ firefighting crews, including all the departments in Erath, Hood, Palo Pinto, Comanche and Eastland.

Tarleton and Rotary have a long and healthy relationship. Former university president Dr. W. O. Trogdon was a Rotarian. Today, of its 30-plus members, Tarleton accounts for about 20-percent of them. With the motto of “service above self,” Stephenville Rotarians gather for their lively meetings every Thursday from noon–1 p.m. at The Agave (City Hall Banquet Room) off of US Business 377.

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