That was 38 years ago, and Spaulding, longtime director of Wilson Schramm Spaulding Funeral Home, never regretted his decision.
“It’s just been a good time,” said Spaulding, who joined Rotary in 1987. “A great way to meet people.”
Numerous members recently met at the Sorg Mansion to celebrate the club’s 100th birthday. The club was chartered in May 1925, said Sarah Nathan, executive director of the Middletown Community Foundation and past president of Rotary.
She called Rotary members “a great group of folks who care deeply for the community.”
While membership has dwindled from 160 in the late 1980s to about 45 today, Spaulding said the mission of the club remains strong: “Service Above Self,” he said.
The civic association meets at noon every Tuesday in the Miami University Middletown cafeteria where they discuss community issues with leaders from local organizations and companies, said Nathan.
She said years ago the club donated nearly $1 million to start an endowment scholarship fund at the university. It’s refreshing, she said, to see young people at MUM and show them “community members who care about life at the university.”
Service projects are a major part of being a Rotarian, Nathan said. The Middletown chapter donates substantial time and funds to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that builds beds for underserved children.
The group also serves Thanksgiving meals at the Middletown Area Salvation Army, she said.
HOW TO JOIN
Attend a Middletown Rotary Club meeting any Tuesday at noon in the Miami University Middletown cafeteria.
On-line membership form: https://IsMyRotaryClub.org/NewMember/?ClubID=3638
HAVE A STORY TO SHARE?
The Journal-News periodically runs a “Good News” story on weekends. If you have a story idea, send it to contributing writer Rick McCrabb at rmccrabb1@gmail.com.
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