Rotary Club of Greenfield, Ohio

Welcome to Rotary!

Established in 1922, the Rotary Club of Greenfield has provided more than a century of service to the community. On February 16, 2023 the club became a breakfast club and meets each Thursday (except holidays) for a 6:30 a.m. breakfast at the Catch 22 Sports Pub, followed by a 7:00 a.m. meeting. The Catch 22 Sports Pub is located at 250 Jefferson St., Greenfield, Ohio.

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Rotary Club of
Greenfield, Ohio

Established in 1922
Charter No. 1177
District 6670

CLUB OFFICERS
2024-2025
President: Dana Daugherty
President-Elect: Quincey Gray
Secretary: Beverly Giffin
Treasurer: Mike Penn
Asst. Treas.: Blain Bergstrom
Foundation Chair: Ron Coffey
Membership Chair: Steve Pearce
PR Chair: Angela Shepherd
Club Service: Larry Hayes
Community Service: Andrew Surritt
International Service: Larry Hayes
Vocational Service: Angela Shepherd
Immediate Past President: Wes Surritt

Rotary International President:
Stephanie A. Urchick
McMurray, Pennsylvania
www.rotary.org

District Governor:
Dottie Meade, Rotary Club of Fairborn
www.rotary6670.org

Assistant District Governor:
Elizabeth C. "Beth" Huber, Wilmington

PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS
The following have been named Paul Harris Fellows to honor their contributions to Rotary. For each Paul Harris Fellowship, either the member or the Greenfield Rotary Club donated $1,000 to the Rotary International Foundation. The foundation's funds make possible many humanitarian projects around the world.
George M. Waddell, 1985
Harry V. Turner, 1986
Wilson L. Moon, 1986
Charles O. Shonkwiler, 1987
Willard Anderson, 1987
Allen M. Johnson (in memory), 1988
Thomas W. Doyle, 1988
No award in 1989
Paul S. Wisecup, 1990
B.R. Duckworth, 1991
Ralph W. Phillips, 1991
Patrick L. Hays, 1992
Sam Daugherty, 1993
Floyd Bartley, 1994
Donald K. Anderson, 1995
Bill Buck, 1996
Steve Hunter, 1997
Wilbur Seilkop, 1998
Dan Crusie, 1998
Ron Coffey, 1999
Steve Pearce, 2000
Jim Weller, 2001
Judy Spargur, 2002
Dean Gardner, 2002
Jack C. Weinrich, 2003
No award during 2004
Clifford Wisecup, 2005
Larry Hayes, 2006
Dr. Rick Mizer, 2006
Peter Quance, 2007
Jackie Gardner, 2007
Barb Barton, 2008
Scott Lovett, 2008
Chuck Miller, 2009
Mike Penn, 2009
Sandra McNeil, 2010
Terry Fouch, 2011
Blain Bergstrom, 2012
David "Boonie" Brizius, 2013
Charlotte Phillips, 2013
Bernard Hester, 2014
Cleve Bartley, 2014
Wes Surritt, 2015
Angela Shepherd, 2016
Virginia Purdy, 2017
Beverly Giffin, 2017
Andrew Surritt III, 2018
Heath Fettro, 2019
No award in 2020
Dr. Eric Borsini, 2021
Tammy Wells, 2021
Eric Zint, 2022
Jennifer McNeil Kennedy, 2023

OUR CLUB
The Greenfield Rotary Club initiates various projects that benefit the community, and also contributes financially to projects undertaken by other groups and organizations. On a national and international level, the club participates in many projects for the benefit of others.

PROJECTS
"One profits most who serves best." So says the Rotary motto, and our club has fun serving the community. Since 1987, the Rotary Club of Greenfield has conducted annual charity auctions to benefit the community. For years some of the proceeds helped in the maintenance and operation of the Ralph W. Phillips Recreation and Civic Center. More recently, the charity auction has been focused on raising money to help implement or financially support projects that benefit the community.
Rotarians also volunteer their time to work on various projects, such as helping to run the concession stand at McClain High School athletic events or preparing materials for the promotion of literacy.
Each spring the Greenfield club joins forces with the Hillsboro Rotary Club to raise funds for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults. This organization offers assistance to Highland Countians in need without the red tape often associated with charitable organizations. The annual radio-telethon in March has raised more than a million dollars since its inception in the early 1970s. Funds are expended for wheelchairs, hearing aids, orthopedic devices, transportation vouchers and a host of other uses. Highland County is proud of this amazingly successful program of people helping people.
Greenfield Rotary helps to support a wide array of projects that benefit the greater Greenfield community.
Recent examples include financial support for improvements at Adena Greenfield Medical Center, donations to help send MHS FFA student to Ireland to study agricultural practices, support for the restoration of the Shorter Chapel AME Church now owned by the Greenfield Historical Society, and assistance with the McClain All Night Party, to name just a few.
Funds from these and other projects help improve the quality of life locally. In addition, Rotary supports projects of Rotary International to have a far-reaching effect for good.
If you would like to know more about Rotary, contact any member of the Greenfield club.

For more information about Rotary, click on the links below.

Rotary INTERNATIONAL

ROTARY District 6670

Rotary assists GHS
with Shorter Chapel

Greenfield Rotary continues to benefit the community in many ways. In the summer of 2023 the club authorized a donation of $500 to the Shorter Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church building fund campaign to assist in the construction of a ramp to assist the church's senior and disabled members. The project also allows better community access to the sanctuary for worship.

In thanking the club, Pastor Nigal Felder said "Your desire to assist the community of Greenfield and specifically Shorter Chapel AME Church fulfills your mission to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business, professional, and community. Thanks to your support, we're well on our way to completing the project. Upon completion, I hope you will take a moment our of your busy schedule to come celebrate with us."

Shorter Chapel AME Church is located at 200 North St. in Greenfield.

Greenfield Rotary Club sets spaghetti

dinner at MHS on Friday, December 13

Greenfield Rotarians will be serving up a tasty Italian meal from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at the McClain High School Cafetorium as the Spaghetti Dinner returns!
Tickets are $8 ($5 for children) and can be purchased at the door or from local Rotary members.
The spaghetti dinners are a longstanding tradition of the Greenfield Rotary Club, but have faced interruptions caused by covid-19 and other circumstances. For a time, even the spaghetti sauce secret recipe was lost, but a recovery team has successfully unearthed the recipe and Rotarians are ready to provide tasty meals for the McClain Tigers and their fans.
Under the leadership of current Rotary President Dana Daugherty and her team of officers, the popular dinner is back and the public is invited to take a night off from cooking and enjoy the games between the host Tigers and the visiting Washington C.H. Blue Lions.
So plan on coming out for the Spaghetti Dinner as McClain also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the big gym, also known as the “New Gym” since the first games were played there in 1974.

Rotary Appreciation Dinner honors print buyers as District Gov. visits

Buyers of limited-edition prints and other supporters of Greenfield Rotary Club were honored at the club’s annual appreciation dinner Oct. 3, 2024 at Buckeye Hills Country Club. A crowd of approximately 40 Rotarians and guests also heard an inspiring address from District 6670 Governor Dorothy Meade.
Club President Dana Daugherty welcomed members and guests to the annual event, which featured a delicious meal of prime rib, chicken or a vegetarian option catered by Ian and Angie Trefz. Local pastor Mark Current offered an invocation prior to the meal.
The club president expressed gratitude for the excellent community support shown by the print buyers at the 2024 Rotary Charity Auction and praised local artist Tammy Wells, who has created the limited edition prints sold at the festival since 2003, helping the club raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of the community. Print buyers at the auction this year included Adena Greenfield Medical Center, Greenfield Research, Southern Hills Community Bank, Sitterle Insurance, Steve and Mindy Hunter, Stevens Hardware, Community Savings Bank, Merchants National Bank, Mike and Linda Penn, and Murray-Fettro Funeral Home and Corner Healthmart Pharmacy, who joined forces to purchase one of the prints.
President Daugherty also praised auctioneers Gary and Mandy Binegar, Matt and Ellen Binegar and Rod Halterman, who were unable to attend the event but have shared their talents to make the auction a success for many years.
Guest speaker for the evening was District Governor Dorothy “Dottie” Meade of the Fairborn Rotary Club, who talked about “The Magic of Rotary” and some of the good works done by Rotary International as well as the work done locally by the Greenfield club. She shared that Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick is challenging clubs to grow the organization by adding members, developing innovative programs and saying “yes” to opportunities for service.
Acknowledging that that world has changed a great deal since Rotary was founded in 1905, DG Meade said, “This is not your father’s Rotary” and asked, “Whose Rotary is it?” She encouraged the Greenfield club to take on an environmental project during the coming year, and to increase giving to the Rotary Foundation by $67 per member, citing some of the projects founded by Rotary International through the collective giving of local clubs.
The District Governor mentioned that “Service Above Self” remains an important theme for Rotarians and encouraged members to listen to a podcast put out by District 6670. She closed with an observation from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, who observed that “the light is brightest when you’re shining for someone else.”
Rotarians also heard from Andrew Surritt, local Rotarian and leader of Rescue 101 Search And Rescue, who was preparing to leave Greenfield for up to 28 days in an effort to locate people who are missing from the hurricane-related weather that has had disastrous impact on the southeast part of the nation. Surritt said his organization has received more than 13,000 requests for help in finding missing persons. He said his team will also help to clear debris such as downed trees in the affected communities. A hat was passed as the audience provided some immediate financial assistance. Surritt mentioned that donations can also be made online by visiting the following website:

www.rescue101SAR.org

A Rotary Appreciation Dinner typically involves announcement of a new Paul Harris Fellow – someone who has made outstanding contributions to Rotary or the community. Longtime Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow Pat Hays was present to make an announcement, but said the news would be delayed until such time as the Paul Harris Fellow (or Fellows) could be present to accept the award. This likely will happen at an upcoming club meeting.
The local club began awarding Paul Harris Fellowships in 1985 when the first recipient was George M. Waddell, Greenfield’s first and so far only District Governor, and the list of honorees reads like a “Who’s Who” of community boosters. For each Paul Harris Fellowship the club donates $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation, which funds myriad humanitarian projects around the world. Over the years, the club has honored more than 50 Rotarians or community members for their dedication to the community and the ideals of Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Greenfield was founded in 1922 and observed its 100th anniversary in 2022. Now 102 years old and counting, the club continues to serve the community with fundraisers as well as donations to good causes. In addition to the Rotary Charity Auction, the club joins forces with the Hillsboro Rotary Club each year to raise money for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults. The club continues to find ways to build up the Greenfield community through charitable donations and other activities.
The appreciation dinner concluded with a drawing for table arrangements.
In closing, President Daugherty thanked everyone who attended and noted that, whether they are Rotarians or not, they deserve thanks for their efforts on behalf of the Greenfield community. Daugherty also expressed her gratitude to Angela Shepherd for coordinating details for the festive evening.

Sale of former Greenfield Armory completed as Rotary club adapts to changing times

In 2024 members of the Greenfield Rotary Club determined that it was time to sell the former Greenfield Armory property at 156 Jefferson St. For approximately 50 years, the armory facility housed the Head Start preschool program and was available to rent for sporting events, parties and receptions.

Declining membership in the Rotary club, and the aging of the current members, caused the club to make changes and adopt strategies for the changing times. After careful consideration, the club determined that it needed to get out of the property management business and advertised the property for sale. Bids were received from several potential buyers and evaluated. On May 23, 2024 club members voted to sell the building to GR8 Investments LLC, run by an entrepreneur who owns several business in and near Greenfield. Soon afterwards, the deal was closed and Rotary is no longer in the property management business.

Anyone interested in renting the armory should contact the new management, as the Greenfield Rotary Club no longer has any involvement in the operation of the facility.

The history of the Greenfield Armory dates back to its construction in 1927, when many communities around the state had armories to aid in the training and preparedness of Ohio National Guardsmen. Eventually many of those facilities were sold or repurposed, with the Greenfield Armory being sold to the Greenfield Jaycees in the 1960s or '70s. Later the Jaycees sold the property to the Greenfield Rotary, which operated it for many years.

More about the history of the armory can be found on the ARMORY page on this website.

Looking ahead to the future, Greenfield Rotarians continue to focus on doing good works to help the community, as well as joining forces with Rotary clubs around the world to make our planet safer and healthier.

Greenfield Rotary will continue to support local projects, and plans to continue its annual Rotary Charity Auction in support of its philanthropic efforts.

Rotary Charity Auction is big success

The annual Rotary Charity Auction moved to a new venue known as Hays Court (the former site of Who's Place) and by all accounts the event was very successful. Many patrons came to the new site owned by Pat and Elaine Hays and enjoyed the numerous high quality items that were available for sale.

For the 22nd year, local artist Tammy Wells created a beautiful print of interest to current or former community residents. This time the subject matter involved two buildings constructed 100 years ago and still looking great. The Greenfield Middle School and the Vocational Building were built in 1924 and continue to offer excellent educational opportunities. McClain High School's well known natatorium is located in the Vocational Building and even 100 years later it is still a rarity for a public school to have its own swimming pool.

Each of the 10 prints brought a very good price, most being purchased by local businesses. And one of the prints was purchased by Mike and Linda Penn, who then donated the print to the Greenfield Exempted Village School District.

As the auction was about to begin, Rotarian Pat Hays called Tammy Wells to the stage and presented her with a pin and documents proclaiming her as a Paul Harris Fellow. The local club donated $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation to make Well a Paul Harris Fellow, and the money is used for good works such as improving health and safety conditions in countries where help is needed.

Hays expressed thanks to Gary Binegar and Rod Halterman for handling the auctioneering duties at the event, and to Barb Barton and Steve Pearce for purchasing many of the items and publicizing the event.

Funds raised at the charity auction will boost the Rotary club's coffers and enable them to continue doing good works in the community.

Thanks to everyone who attended, donated items for sale, purchased items or helped in any way!

Greenfield Rotary Club made a $2,500 donation to help replace the fountain at the AGMC therapeutic garden. The project is estimated to cost $8,000, and donations can be made through the Adena Health Foundation. Pictured L-R are AGMC therapists Katie Basford and Kristy Harris, and Rotarians Dana Daugherty, Mike Penn and Blain Bergstrom.

Rotary assists AGMC fountain project

Efforts to replace the non-functional fountain at the Adena Greenfield Medical Center got a big boost from the Greenfield Rotary Club on June 6, 2024 when the club voted to contribute $2,500 towards the project, which is estimated to cost $8,000.

The fountain has been a part of the theraupeutic garden at AGMC for decades and was beloved as a beautiful, calming place where patients and their families and friends could share some tranquil moments even while participating in healing therapy. AGMC therapists Kristy Harris and Katie Basford discussed plans to replace the fountain with Rotarians at their Thursday morning meeting, and the club members responded with some immediate assistance.

A check was made out to the Adena Health Foundation to assist in the project and presented to Harris and Basford by Rotary President Dana Daugherty and Treasurer Mike Penn.

Anyone wishing to assist in the AGMC fountain project can do so by donating to the Adena Health Foundation. Donations are tax deductible.

Rotarians lend a hand with
kindergarten registration packets

The Rotary Club of Greenfield donated funds that were used to create packets that children received the week of April 15 when registering for kindergarten.
The Greenfield Exempted Village School District expressed a big “THANK YOU” to the Rotarians, MHS Cadet Corps, and students in Mrs. Lovett's class for packaging the items. What a great team effort!
Do you have a child who is ready for kindergarten? Please check out the school district’s previous posts with detailed information about registration on the Greenfield Exempted Village School District Facebook page as the Class of 2037 is welcomed!

52nd annual Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon tops $165K in successful Highland County campaign

The 52nd annual Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon conducted by the Hillsboro and Greenfield Rotary Clubs for the benefit of the Highland County Society for Children and Adults took place on March 27 and recorded a very successful fundraiser with more than $165,000 raised at the time the event concluded.
Read more about it on the HCSCA page on this website.
Prior to, during and after the telethon, checks payable to HCSCA can be dropped off at any local bank or mailed to the Society at P.O. Box 258, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Donations can also be made online at the society's website, www.hicoso.org.
HCSCA PAGE

Nathan Alvarez wins local Four-Way Test speech contest

McClain High School student Nathan Alvarez won first place honors at the Rotary Four-Way Test speech contest on February 27.
Nathan faced stiff competition from his twin brother Nicolas Alvarez and Kayden Edenfield in the speech contest that took place in the McClain auditorium. When the scores from three judges were tallied, Nathan took the top prize of $200 while his brother Nicolas received a $100 check for second place and Kayden took home $50 for placing third.
The checks were presented by Greenfield Rotary President Dana Daugherty, who invited Nathan to present his winning speech to the Greenfield Rotary Club. Nathan happily accepted the invitation and gave an impressive presentation to his Rotary audience.
The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do is a test used by Rotarians worldwide as a moral code for personal and business relationships. The test can be applied to almost any aspect of life. The Four-Way Test was scripted by Herbert J. Taylor, an American from Chicago, as he set out to save the Club Aluminum Products Distribution Company from bankruptcy. By applying the principles of the Four-Way Test, the company repaid its debts and generously paid its shareholders.
In the 1940s, when Taylor was an international director of Rotary, he offered the Four-Way Test to the organization, and it was adopted by Rotary International for its internal and promotional use. Never changed, the 24-word test remains today a central part of the permanent Rotary structure throughout the world, and is held as the standard by which all behavior should be measured.
The Greenfield Rotary Club sponsors a Four-Way Test speaking contest annually to help educate and inspire local students while giving them an opportunity to creatively develop organizational and public speaking skills.
“There is a lot of wisdom behind the four questions that can help each of us in our personal and business relationships,” said Dana Daugherty. “That is why our club typically opens each meeting by reciting the Four-Way Test.”
The Rotary Four-Way Test
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The Greenfield Rotary Club meets at the Catch 22 Sports Pub at 6:30 a.m. each Thursday (except holidays) for breakfast and a club meeting.

Jennifer McNeil Kennedy (center) is pictured with Greenfield Rotarians Steve Pearce (left) and Pat Hays after receiving a Paul Harris Fellowship honoring her longtime support of Rotary projects. The award is named in honor of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary International.

Paul Harris Fellowship honors Jennifer Kennedy
for her longtime support of Greenfield Rotary

The legacy of community involvement and financial support for a myriad of projects in Greenfield by Lowell and Sandra McNeil has been passed down to their daughter, Jennifer McNeil Kennedy, Rotary’s recipient of this year’s Paul Harris Fellowship. Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, lived by the credo “Service Above Self” and is the cornerstone of today’s Rotary clubs throughout the world.
Greenfield Rotarians Pat Hays and Steve Pearce surprised Kennedy by bringing her a pin and certificate recognizing her as a Paul Harris Fellow. Kennedy, through her business, Sitterle Insurance, has been a faithful supporter of Rotary activities and a longtime buyer of limited edition prints at Rotary auctions. Kennedy is also known as a community leader and supporter of charitable organizations that work to benefit Greenfield and area.
Pat Hays, a longtime Rotary leader and community benefactor himself, said of Kennedy, “Jennifer’s participation in our Rotary Auction each and every year has helped the Greenfield club to donate to various school and community requests throughout the area, along with her own philanthropy to numerous organizations.”
Steve Pearce echoed Hays’s sentiments and called her “an outstanding community leader and a generous donor to good causes.”
In order to bestow a Paul Harris Fellowship, the Greenfield Rotary Club contributes $1,000 in the recipient's name to Rotary International, which uses the funds to fight disease, promote clean water, sanitation and hygiene, help grow economies in impoverished countries, and to promote peace throughout the world. One longtime effort has been to eradicate polio from the face of the earth, a goal that may be achieved in the near future.
Many local, regional and internationally recognized figures have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.
The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the 1 million mark in 2006, and funds contributed to the Rotary Foundation continue to make a difference while honoring the legacy of Rotary’s founder.
The Greenfield Rotary Club meets for a 6:30 a.m. breakfast each Thursday (except holidays) at the Catch 22 Sports Pub. A brief meeting follows, and Rotarians are able to get on with their busy schedules by 7:30 a.m.
For more information about the local Rotary club, visit www.greenfieldrotary.org.

Rotarians work concession stand at girls basketball game

In a continuing effort to serve our community, Greenfield Rotarians volunteered to work the concession stand February 7 when the local girls teams hosted Zane Trace. With a little practice, the Rotarians soon were serving up loaded nachos, hot dogs, Chic-fil-A sandwiches, giant dill pickles, soft drinks and all kinds of sweet treats for the fans in attendance.
Some of the Rotarians are pictured inside the concession area. Rotary President Dana Daugherty expressed her thanks to everyone who helped and all who supported the concession stand. Go Tigers!

Greenfield Rotary donates to Adena Foundation

The Greenfield Rotary Club on Aug. 1, 2023 presented a $10,000 donation to the Adena Foundation for its ongoing work in the community. Holding the check are foundation board member Linda Penn and Rotarian Barb Barton. Also pictured are (front row, l-r) Josh McCoy and Kris Donley of Adena; and on the far right is foundation board member Elena Zint. In the back row (l-r) are Rotarians Ron Coffey and Pat Hays, as well as Lynn Harris with Adena.

Surrounded by members of the Greenfield Rotary Club, and receiving the check from club president Dana Daugherty (center, right), are McClain FFA members Abby Wise (secretary) and Brenna Wright (treasurer). On the far right of the photo is McClain FFA adviser Madison Schumacher.

Rotary Club supports
MHS FFA trip to Ireland

The McClain FFA received a $1,000 check from the Greenfield Rotary Club to help support the FFA trip to Ireland in May of 2024.
The Greenfield Rotary Club also sponsored a hole for a golf outing at Buckeye Hills Country Club in advance of the trip to Ireland.
The Greenfield Rotary Club meets each Thursday at 6:30 a.m. at Catch 22, 250 Jefferson St.

Wes Surritt, 2021-23 Rotary President, passes a "gavel" to 2023-25 President Dana Daugherty. Club meetings are typically opened and closed by striking a Rotary bell with a gavel (or spoon) to get the attention of members.

Dana Daugherty installed as
Rotary President for 2023-25

A changing of the guard was observed June 29, 2023 as outgoing Rotary President Wes Surritt’s presided one final time at the breakfast meeting at Catch 22 Sports Pub. Near the end of the session, Surritt invited President-elect Dana Daugherty to come up front for a passing of the “gavel” – in this case, a spoon that Wes used to ring a Rotary bell for the opening and closing of each meeting.

Surritt thanked the club members for the support the past two years, as he became club president on July 1, 2021 and helped the club transition through the covid pandemic, and change from a longtime tradition of meeting for lunch to becoming a breakfast club effective Feb. 16, 2023. Among his other accomplishments was leading the club through its final Rotary-sponsored festival in 2022 and helping the club find new opportunities for service in an era of changing demographics for service organizations.

Surritt thanked incoming President Daugherty for her leadership with the Rotary Charity Auction, which took place in June as part of the inaugural Greenfield Music Festival. He said the club is in good hands as the new president begins her two-year term and encouraged all Rotarians to do what they can to help.

The Greenfield Rotary Club meets each Thursday (except holidays) at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast and a brief meeting. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary is welcome to come and have breakfast at the Catch 22 Sports Pub in Greenfield.

Breakfast meetings lead to growth in attendance

Greenfield Rotary Club's Thursday morning breakfast meetings continue to be a hit with members and potential members. At the March 2 get-together, 14 Rotary members and four potential members showed up for a delicious breakfast followed by a brief meeting. (Some got away before the photo above was taken.)

Rotary continues to be involved in community projects and activities. At the upcoming Greenfield Music Festival (June 2-3-4), the Rotary club will continue with its popular auction offering lots of quality items from lawn equipment to concert tickets, and featuring a set of 10 limited edition prints by local artist Tammy Wells.

Are you interesting in helping the community but too busy for a lunch or evening meeting? Check out the Greenfield Rotary Club's breakfast meetings at 6:30 a.m. each Thursday at the Catch 22 Sports Pub.

Greenfield Rotary's first breakfast meeting took place Feb. 16, 2023 at the Catch 22 Sports Pub. Members are shown at the conclusion of the meeting celebrating the historic occasion. Henceforth the club will meet at 6:30 a.m. each Thursday (except holidays) for breakfast and a business meeting. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary is welcome to attend.

First Rotary breakfast meeting a hit with members

The Greenfield Rotary Club’s first breakfast meeting took place Feb. 16, 2023 and struck a good note with members, with about a dozen Rotarians present along with some visitors from McClain High School.

The menu at the Catch 22 included sausage and bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and even coffee cake for dessert! A few bleary-eyed retirees welcomed the aroma and caffeine of fresh-brewed coffee and all enjoyed visiting their friends and neighbors during the 6:30-7:00 time slot.

At 7:00, President Wes Surritt opened the meeting with the traditional Pledge of Allegiance, recitation of the Four Way Test, and prayer. Two senior guests from McClain High School introduced themselves, talked about their school activities and future plans.

A program was presented by Greenfield Schools Director of Instruction Alisa Barrett, who presented information about the ways children are taught to read. She distributed a message printed in Portugese and asked if any Rotarians could read the text. No Rotarian present was able to interpret the message, so Mrs. Barrett explained that as children, we learn to speak as a natural process, but reading is more difficult to pick up. For some children, trying to read is similar to Rotarians attempting to interpret a message in an unfamiliar language. Mrs. Barrett said new techniques are equipping teachers to help children overcome barriers to reading and make learning more fun.

Following the program, Treasurer Mike Penn gave a financial report and other Rotary business was discussed.
The meeting was adjourned in time for Rotarians to get on with their day, and several made positive comments about the new format before departing.

The Greenfield Rotary Club will continue to meet for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Catch 22 Sports Pub, 250 Jefferson St. in Greenfield.

Greenfield Rotary history now includes
Feb. 9, 2023 as the date of 'Last Luncheon Meeting'

With the Greenfield Rotary Club moving its meeting time to 6:30 a.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 9, 2023 will go down in club history as the date of the "Last Luncheon Meeting."

President Wes Surritt presided at the Feb. 9 meeting and reminded members that a new era was about to unfold as the club has decided to have its meetings at 6:30 a.m. each Thursday, followed by a business meeting at 7:00 a.m.

The final luncheon menu included some wonderfully spicy potato soup, cornbread and hot Italian sub sandwiches, plus donuts with icing for dessert.

The idea behind the move is to make club meetings more convenient for a group of community minded business people trying to keep up with the demands of changing times. Several potential new members have already indicated interest in joining the club.

"All current club members and anyone interested in seeing what the club is about is invited to join us for our Thursday morning meetings," President Surritt said. "There will be a buffet-style breakfast and a brief meeting so that members can get to work or their next activity without affecting their busy schedules."

Celebrating the centennial of Greenfield Rotary are, front row (L-R), Eric Zint, Barb Barton, Beverly Giffin, Jackie Gardner, Dean Gardner, Dan Pearce, Dana Daugherty, Angela Shepherd, Mike Penn, Ron Coffey; back row, Cleve Bartley, Larry Hayes, Steve Pearce, Kevin Sinnock, Blain Bergstrom, Club President Wes Surritt, Pat Hays, Eric Borsini, Steve Hunter, Heath Fettro, Tom Lubbers, Andrew Surritt. (Photo by Seely Portraits)

Ohio House of Representatives recognizes Greenfield Rotary's century of service

In 2022 the House of Representatives of the 134th Ohio General Assembly recognized the Rotary Club of Greenfield for its 100 years of service.

Greenfield Rotary President Wes Surritt showed members the congratulatory proclamation, signed by 91st House District Representative Shane Wilkin and House Speaker Robert R. Cupp, at the club's August 18, 2022 meeting.

The proclamation notes that the Greenfield Rotary Club "has attained a praiseworthy record of service to the area" in the century that has elapsed since the formation of the club in 1922. "Since its inception a century ago, the Greenfield Rotary Club has enhanced the quality of life within the surrounding area, and its generous contributions have earned it the gratitude and respect of the many citizens it has so capable served," the proclamation reads. "We are certain that as this fine endeavor maintains its unfaltering dedication to service, it will continue in the tradition of excellence that has become its hallmark."

"We appreciate this recognition and look forward to new opportunities to serve in the years ahead," President Surritt said.

The local Rotary club meets each Thursday (except holidays) at the Catch 22 Sports Pub.