With “Service Above Self” as the official Rotary motto of this international service organization, is it any wonder that Pawling’s Rotarians are at the forefront of doing good in our little corner of the world?  With a full calendar of community events and fundraisers, along with a roster of local organizations that receive gifts, grants and volunteer support from the Pawling club, its members clearly take joy in serving this beloved community.

Rotary was founded in Chicago in February, 1905 by attorney Paul Harris, as a conduit to form better business relationships within his community.  In a relatively short time, however, Rotary expanded its reach to include clubs on six continents, with humanitarian service at its heart.  Today, Rotary International, through its foundation, supports the eradication of polio worldwide, promotes the well-being of women and children globally, promotes peace, supports educational initiatives and finds solutions for clean water, sanitation and hygiene in underserved communities.  Additionally, there is a focus on growing local economies and protecting the environment.  Annually, the Rotary Foundation provides almost $100 million in grants that support projects that accomplish these goals.

Touting 1.4 million members worldwide in more than 46,000 clubs, Rotary International (of which the Pawling club is a part) is one of the largest service organizations in the world.  Rotarians from every corner of the globe perform 47 million volunteer hours annually.  As outlined on the Rotary International website, “Rotarians provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.”  On May 13, 1940, Pawling’s Rotary club was chartered, and throughout its eighty-four years it has counted among its membership many Pawling citizens for whom “Service Above Self” has resonated deeply.  Today’s members focus on the Pawling club’s mission of supporting youth in our community.

Rotary is a non-religious and non-political organization open to everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, or political preference.  Although women were not permitted membership under the original Rotary charter, that policy was reversed in 1986.  Today, Rotary counts more than 400,000 women in its ranks, many in leadership positions on the international stage as well as nationally and locally.  More than half of Pawling Rotary’s members are women, many of whom have served as club presidents, initiating programs and events that have become regular additions to Rotary’s calendar.

Pawling Rotary has an active events calendar.  Its annual Stuff the Bus event took place this year on July 20^th, soon after the July 1 start of the Rotary year.  Rotary organizes and sponsors Stuff the Bus with event partners Pawling Resource Center (the beneficiary of the bus stuffing), Hannaford’s supermarket, and the Pawling Central School District, which donates the use of the bus.  Through this annual happening, donated food products, personal care items, and paper goods fill the PRC shelves at a time of year when donations are not as plentiful.  This year’s event was the ninth annual, highly successful Stuff the Bus, and the generosity of the Saturday-morning shopping crowd at Hannaford’s was on full display!

Autumn is a particularly busy time for the club.  One of its two major fundraisers, the Fall Fest, takes place in September; the annual coat drive runs from mid-October through December; and the club holds its annual holiday party, at which grants are distributed, in early December.  The club also happily adopts a family or two at the Resource center and contributes to the town’s holiday tree lighting event.

This September 28^th, the annual Pawling Rotary Fall Fest will take place at Lakeside Park.  Fall Fest has become a popular community event with a barbecue, pony rides, games, raffles, prizes, and music; pumpkin, T-shirt and face painting; a bouncy house; a newly added petting zoo; and the ever-popular Cow Chip Bingo!  It’s a fun family event enjoyed by many . . . even when the weather doesn’t cooperate!  More than three hundred attended last year’s rainy-day event inside the Lathrop Center.  In past years, drier weather has encouraged well over six hundred community members to enjoy a day filled with some of fall’s favorite activities.  The dollars raised at the Fall Fest, along with the funds raised at the annual spring Golf Outing that takes place at the Quaker Hill Country Club in May, support the many organizations that benefit from Rotary’s youth-centered mission. 

The organizations and programs that receive Rotary assistance are numerous.  Pawling Rotary’s Roger Smith Scholarship program provides two worthy high school seniors with $2,500 each in support of their post-graduation educational goals.  The club also provides five scholarships for high school sophomores to Rotary’s annual five-day youth leadership conference (known as RYLA) on the Mount Saint Mary’s College campus in Newburgh, New York; and this past summer, with a generous grant from the Pawling Community Foundation, Rotary was able to provide 15 scholarships to the Town of Pawling Summer Camp program for community children who would not have the financial means to attend otherwise. Rotary supports The Smith Johnson Scout Cabin, the Resource Center’s school supply drive, the Pawling Free Library’s children and teen programming, the Ryan McElroy and Ty Louis Campbell foundations, the Interact Club, Rotary’s third-grade dictionary project, the Wings Over Water “Learn to Swim” program for disadvantaged youth, and Blue Path Service Dogs, a worthy organization that provides pups to children with autism, helping to make navigating their world a bit easier and safer.  Rotary made a generous donation to the new Children’s wing at the Pawling library and secured a twenty-thousand-dollar grant for the refurbishment of the Pawling teen center.  Additionally, Pawling’s club annually contributes to the Pawling Fire Department and to the Rotary Foundation in support of its global mission of service, and has sponsored the senior luncheon at Lathrop and movie night in the park!  The Pawling Rotary club happily gives away all that it raises at events and fundraisers, with annual dollar totals in the tens of thousands, all of which is made possible by the dedication of its members and the extraordinary generosity of the Pawling business community, which has embraced the club’s mission and strengthened its ability to serve.

During the spring of 2019, Rotary, in partnership with the Town of Pawling, hosted the first of what were hoped to be regular, biennial naturalization ceremonies in Pawling for new United State citizens in Dutchess County.  Due to the Covid pandemic, the club was unable to hold this noteworthy celebration again until the spring of 2023.  However, because of its success, Rotary has now been scheduled to organize another naturalization ceremony in spring 2025.

Spring also finds Rotarians all over the world celebrating a day in May designated as the Rotary Day of Service.  The projects are numerous and varied, but all support the communities in which the Rotarians live.  Pawling’s club has, most recently, collected toiletries for the PRC and has contributed in past years to Project Prom, collecting donated prom dresses for young women in high school who could not otherwise afford to purchase all that is needed to attend this important milestone.

However, just as important to the membership as its fundraising, volunteer efforts, and donation capability are the comradery, friendship, and caring that exist between its members.  Everyone truly enjoys each other’s company, revels in happy news, and lends support when life deals its inevitable blows.  Meals are arranged for members recovering from surgery or illness, cards are sent from the club to buoy spirits, and calls are made to check in on older members unable to attend meetings regularly.  Members look forward to weekly lunch meetings that take place at noon on Tuesdays, at Lathrop at Lakeside.  Club business is handled at each meeting, to be sure, but throughout the hour-long gathering, much laughter ensues.  This year’s club President, Medina Kahlil shared,  “Rotary reminds me about my connection to the community and to the positive effect we can have each time we organize an event.  Rotary’s reach goes beyond the impact on our membership.  It touches family, friends and neighbors, each of us knowing that working together makes us stronger.”

On a personal note, this writer is a Rotarian who has had the privilege of chairing events, sharing club news through this publication on a regular basis, and serving in club leadership.  My enthusiasm for all that this club accomplishes for the community’s families, and especially its youngsters, is boundless.  And I’m happy to report that the club will soon be planning another New Prospective Member Luncheon for community members who would like to learn more and perhaps experience a bit of Rotary magic . . . so stay tuned!! Additional Information about the Pawling Rotary Club may be found on its website at pawlingrotary.org.