Swimming upstream: The secrets to Valdese Rotary's success

Somewhere in the DNA of the Valdese Rotary Club, there must be some salmon blood.

After all, the club is most definitely swimming upstream.

Swimming upstream against a tide of shrinking and disappearing civic and service clubs all across the nation.

Swimming upstream against a tide of apathy and disinterest in community life — a tide that has impacted churches, civic organizations, and even voter turnout.

Swimming upstream against a tide of connection to all things social media, and disconnection from the neighborhood, the community, the town.

Instead of being washed away by that tide, the Valdese Rotary Club has a growing membership roll, a list of service projects a yard long, and a truly “can do” spirit that makes it a force in Valdese and indeed across the region.

Since 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic was winding down to now, the club’s membership has increased from 40 to 52 active members, a 30% increase.

Members under age 50 have increased from 22% to 40%.

The club has gained five corporate memberships which allow local businesses to send a representative to meetings and be involved as much as they choose.

A majority of the members of the club are women, with the figure fluctuating between 56% to 70% over the last few years.

And finally, the club’s attrition rate is less than 8%, compared to the district rate of 18.6% and the national average of 15% to 25%

All of this begs the question, what makes this club so different?

AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION

The dog days of summer are in full swing as July pivots toward August, and five members of Valdese Rotary gather in one of the comfortable balconies at Thornwell Books in downtown Morganton.

Those present include club president Rachel Palmer, Dr. Shawn Hamm of UNC Health Blue Ridge, Dylan Webb of Bimbo Bakeries, Tamika Garrison of Carolina Caring, and Lu Griffin, president of L.L. Griffin and Associates.

They have been invited by a Paper reporter to talk about the question above, “What makes your club so different?”

As the group settles into comfortable chairs and on a well-worn sofa, they laugh and giggle like middle schoolers on a field trip. Cutup in chief seems to be Garrison, but she receives plenty of support from Palmer and Webb.

When the group “settles down,” as an old teacher might say, a host of replies follow to the question, “What makes your club so different?” with the answers ranging from passionate, to humorous, to practical, to downright inspiring.

“You can forget what the weekly meeting is about,” said Garrison. “You can forget what projects are being worked on. But you will remember how this club embraces you, and supports you, and lifts you up.”

“It’s just a fun and friendly group,” said Webb. “Whatever your perspective is, it is embraced. When I came to my first meeting, no one knew who I was. But, when I left, I felt like I had a whole new family.”

The Valdese Rotary Club, which will be celebrating its 80th anniversary next year, has never lost sight of the Rotary motto, said Griffin.

“We truly are all about ‘Service Above Self,’” she said. “But we provide people the opportunity to put that motto into practice in a warm and supportive environment where we let each person use their own talents and strengths.”

Griffin noted the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still lingering in Valdese, as indeed they are across the entire nation.

“People got used to staying at home,” she said. “They got used to withdrawing from their community and becoming more insular. But we make people want to become involved, want to do what is right for their community.”

LOCAL ROTARY EFFORTS

Certainly, Valdese Rotary offers a host of ways for its members to “do what is right” for the residents of central and eastern Burke County. Among its local projects are:

• Providing support for educational scholarships and for students to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy.
• Continuing a close and supportive relationship with the students and faculty of Hallyburton Academy, Burke County’s alternative school.
• Supporting and working with both the local Meals on Wheels program and the soup kitchen of Burke United Christian Ministries.
• Collection and distribution of clothing and medical supplies for local public school students.
• Sponsoring Interact Clubs at both East Burke and Draughn high schools.
• Performing service projects at both Valdese Lakeside Park and at the Fred B. Cranford Amphitheater, home of the summer drama, “From This Day Forward.”
• Supporting the Valdese Sports Hall of Fame.

“One of the great things about our club,” said Palmer, “is that it can be as local as you want it to be or as global as you want it to be. We strike a great balance, I believe, of service, programming, and fellowship.”

GLOBAL EFFORTS

Among the global efforts the club supports through Rotary International are:

• The ongoing drive to eradicate polio around the world through health education and vaccination efforts.
• The ongoing efforts to provide clean drinking water for communities across rural Africa.
• Combatting poverty in Guatemala through education and health efforts.
• Financial support to find the treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s disease through Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust (CART).

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

When each member of the group was asked to describe how membership in Valdese Rotary had impacted their own life, Garrison replied, “It has allowed me to see that we can change the future. I have seen children whose lives have been transformed through scholarships. This is what I want to do for my region, for my people.”

Webb responded, “Being in Rotary has allowed me to dive into and to develop my talents. Such a great opportunity for networking and for building community. I’m now the club’s Public Image chairman, so it has helped me develop personally and professionally.”

Dr. Hamm related how, when he first moved to Valdese, “I didn’t know anyone. (Former UNC Health Blue Ridge executive) Jon Mercer brought me to my first meeting and I found a group that is very much like a family. There’s a closeness here, a reliance upon each other, that I believe is very special.”

Palmer, the daughter of former club president Ted Carrothers, noted that as a second-generation Rotarian, the club has helped her hone her leadership skills and provide an outlet for her creative energies.

And Griffin, who has been in the club for decades, said, “So many aspects of my service with this club are interrelated with the community. I know that this club has had a tremendous impact on people across the board.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

As to the club’s future into and beyond its 80th year, Palmer said, “We have to stay in motion. We have to continue letting our new members decide how they want to serve.

“We can’t make (new members) fit into our puzzle,” Palmer continued. “We have to expand the puzzle to fit them and their talents.”

Dr. Hamm said, “We have to continue to use each person’s energy in a positive way and we’ve got to make our weekly meetings very happy occasions. Each meeting should be a mini-family reunion.”

“Being a successful Rotarian is hard work,” Griffin said. “It involves a lot of service, time, and commitment. But it also brings a great sense of community and a great feeling of satisfaction.”

Perhaps the secret to Valdese Rotary’s success is that its members have never viewed service as a burden or membership as an obligation. They see them, instead, as a privilege — a chance to make a difference, to build friendships, and to leave their community a little better than they found it.

In an era when so many organizations are being carried away by the current, the members of Valdese Rotary continue to swim upstream. And like the salmon whose determination inspired the comparison, they keep moving forward – one project, one friendship, and one act of service at a time.

For more information on the Valdese Rotary Club, visit their website at rotaryclubofvaldese.com.