The Rotary Club of Warren is thrilled to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of their club! The celebration will last all year long. In order to put plans in place, the Warren Rotary Centennial Committee has been meeting regularly since March 2017.
Starting with the very first meeting of the new Rotary year, president Andy Bednar shared the three-pronged approach for the year.
YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION
Each member was presented with a specially designed Centennial lapel pin. Many members wear them to the meeting each week as well as to other business and social events.
Fellowship has been transformed into Fellowship 2.0. Instead of calling upon a Warren Rotarian to offer Fellowship, a current Rotarian plays the part of a former Warren Rotarian or an individual important in the history of the club or city, sharing a little about themselves in the process. So far, Fellowship 2.0 has reintroduced the club to Warren Rotarians Halsey Taylor, Les Stauffer, and Larry Kiracofe, as well as notable individuals such as John Glenn, Ernie Hall, Harriett Taylor Upton, and Alba Lucia Cardona, a young girl from Columbia who received prosthetic hands thanks to the generosity of the club.
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A centennial logo has been developed to ‘re-brand’ the club for this Rotary year. The logo incorporates eight images of achievements of the club or its members within an image of the Trumbull County Courthouse, an icon on the city of Warren.
To view the explanation of the centennial logo, click on this LINK.
The club took an aerial photograph in the fall in the shape of a Rotary Wheel! The image has been submitted to The Rotarian Magazine in the hopes of it being published.
Veteran Rotarians have been asked to bring in mementos of the past so that they can be photographed and turned into a virtual museum which will be posted on our club’s website.
In the spring, the club will plant 100 trees in five of Warren’s city parks. That is in cooperation with Rotary International President, Ian Riseley from Australia, who has challenged every Rotary Club to plant one tree for each of its members. However instead of planting 82, the Rotary Club of Warren will plant 100!
The weekly Newsletter has been ‘re-tooled’ to present important Centennial information and promote activities commemorating the 100th anniversary.
JANUARY 2018 CELEBRATION
Special programs were planned for meetings in January.
The club received proclamations and citations from the Mayor of the City of Warren, a local judge, the Trumbull County Commissioners, the State Representative, the State Senator, the Governor of the State of Ohio, and Rotary International.
On Monday, January 29, 2018 – 100 years after the first meeting – the Rotary Club of Warren broke with tradition and held their meeting at noon on a Monday (instead of a Wednesday) at a site that might very well have been yards away from the site of the very first meeting.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
On Saturday, January 27, 2018, the Rotary Club of Warren commemorated the 100th anniversary of the very first meeting at a black-tie event at Avalon Inn and Resort. Many former Warren Rotarians, Rotarians from neighboring clubs, and guests attended. Also in attendance was current District Governor Mike Raulin, and Past District Governors Dallas Woodall (who is from the Warren Club), Larry Warren, and Sieglinde Warren.
The night featured a champagne toast to 100 years as well a walk down memory lane, giving the opportunity for 15 Warren Rotarians to honor past presidents, Paul Harris Fellows, and Major Donors to name a few.
As part of the evening, a Reverse Raffle raised over $10,000 which funded Warren Rotary’s 100 Good Deeds program providing the chance for each Warren Rotarian to have the opportunity to direct a $100 donation to the recipient of their choice.
The highlight of the evening came when Rudy and Rita Rotary (otherwise known as President Andy Bednar and Past President Diane Sauer) made an appearance. In their performance, Rudy and Rita presented long-time club member Dallas Woodall with the award for ‘Warren Rotarian of the Century’! Rudy and Rita first came on the scene in 2009 when they presented reviews of The Rotarian Magazine through the guise of a late, late, late night cable talk show. They have continued to appear at meetings throughout the years with their unique brand of humor.