The Rotary Club of Wilsonville, chartered in 1975, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special noon banquet on Thursday, June 11 at the Al Kader Shrine Center, 25100 S.W. Parkway Ave., Wilsonville, Oregon.
“We are excited about this important milestone and we look forward to celebrating it with our Rotarians, former Rotarians, supporters of the club, and members of the Wilsonville community,” club President Mary Stewart said.
The club was chartered on May 18, 1975 and initially met at the Kopper Kitchen (now the location of Denny’s Restaurant in Wilsonville). The club has grown over the years, and now numbers 43 active members and two honorary members. Among them is charter member Jack Kohl, who served as club president in 1977–78 and remains an active club member after 40 years. Wayne Lowrie was also a charter member and is currently an honorary member of the club.
A special program will celebrate the club’s 40 years of history and service projects. These projects currently include the Summer Concerts for End Polio Now, Through A Child’s Eyes, the Heart of Gold Celebration, the Wilsonville First Citizen award program, omelet breakfasts for schools and good causes, the Wilsonville Chess Club, and numerous international service projects including most recently a solar panel project in Africa in conjunction with Solar Hope and Oregon Tech.
Several dignitaries are expected, including Rotary District 5100 Governor Doug Taylor and Wilsonville Mayor Tim Knapp.
The cost of lunch will be $12 per person — the same as a regular noon meeting. A special lunch menu will be catered by Lamb’s Nature’s Choice Market of Wilsonville. Those who wish to attend the gathering should RSVP to Bob Harland at bwharland@comcast.net or 503-694-8279.
The Rotary Club of Wilsonville is part of Rotary International, which was founded by Paul Harris on Feb. 23, 1905 in Chicago. Rotary has grown over the years and today has more than 1.2 million members and 34,000 clubs in more than 200 countries all around the world.