University Brings Back Rotary Club

Mitchell Hall, Reporter

University officials made the decision to partner with the Dallas High School Rotary Club earlier this year in order to return a Rotary Club back to campus.

The club’s advisors, Heather Fritz and Heidi Manning, along with the club’s president Madison Klopp, sophomore early childhood development and special education major, have brought back the club as a way help the community.

Rotary Clubs are organizations that give back to the community by bringing people together, participating in fundraising events and holding various other activities in the community.

The women decided to partner with members of the Dallas High School club to gain more momentum for the Misericordia Rotary Club that ended because of a lack of members.

Klopp wants to bring the club back because of how much it helped her.

“I participated back in high school and I even got a scholarship,” she said. “I also attended a camp on Rotary and Misericordia needed someone that could take charge right away.”

Seven others are also members of the club which held a Christmas party for local children where they took the kids on a shopping trip and to McDonald’s for breakfast.

“It was a great experience. Every kid left with almost $200 worth of toys for Christmas,” Klopp said.

The Dallas Rotary Club assisted with the Christmas party as a way to show the school’s partnership would help those kids to have a nice Christmas.

The Rotary Club has a few other ideas that can help the community.

“We want to do an event where we hand out flowers for donating a dollar for polio (eradication) and maybe cleaning up the garden, but we’re not sure yet,” Klopp explained.

She continued, saying club members have other goals they wish to complete for uniting people. They want to end each year with one more person than they started with and they would also like to establish or maintain a twin club relationship with their partnering organization.

She also mentioned several goals for taking action in the club, including holding a fundraising event and increasing awareness of Rotary’s work toward polio eradication.

Others would be to post details regarding successful club projects, information about p

Photo by: Mitchell Hall

ast, present and future activities and details about where, when and how to log volunteer hours on the website –  Rotary.org.

Klopp emphasized the importance of taking action in this club.

“This club is what you make of it; it’s limited to your experiences and what you decide to do,” she said.

Klopp encourages people to support the Rotary Club to help make a difference and unite others.

Anyone interested in learning more about the club is invited to attend meetings on the second Thursday of every month in the Banks Student Life Center. Klopp also encouraged people to check out the club’s Instagram – misrotaract – to see the different ways they can get involved in the community.

Those interested in being part of the Rotary Club may contact Fritz by email at [email protected] or the Klopp at 570-472-7513.