Rotary of Mount Olive celebrated the start of its 102nd year in January, a notable milestone for any club, but especially one in a town the size of Mount Olive.
While the club has experienced plenty of changes through the years, its guiding tenet has remained steadfast: Service Above Self.
The club’s 14 members are committed to serving the community and welcome newcomers to their group. They meet every Thursday at noon at First United Methodist Church, 120 E. James St. Members bring their own lunch and maybe a snack to share while they catch up on each other’s good news and challenges and plan upcoming events.
The main event recently has been preparation for the club’s major fundraiser, the Cabin Fever Golf Tournament. Usually held the last Friday in February, weather interfered this year; however, perfect golf weather greeted the tournament’s 60 players at Southern Wayne Country Club this past Friday.
The money raised through the tournament will be used to sponsor the club’s community focused activities the rest of the year.
Among the membership, Mount Olive resident Barton Baldwin has served in the club the longest. He joined March 1, 1977, after moving back to town to open his CPA practice. He was eager to get involved in the community where he lived and worked.
“It was an excellent decision, one I’ll never regret,” he said recently.
A couple of memories from almost 50 years as a Rotarian stand out as highlights for Baldwin. When one of the worst tornados in North Carolina history swept through the night of March 28, 1984, parts of the county — Mount Olive in particular — were devastated. Three Mount Olive area residents died, dozens more were injured and numerous homes were destroyed.
“We were having our Rotary district meeting, and I made a request to Rotary’s district and state leadership to start a fund to help tornado victims,” Baldwin said. “They said OK and put me in charge!”
He recalled how a Rotary Club from Illinois came down and jump started the fund with a $25,000 check, demonstrating Rotary’s commitment not just at the local level, but to help wherever help is needed.
When all was said and done, the local club had raised close to $100,000. Barton said they distributed the disaster relief funds all over the district: south to Lumberton, north to Washington, east to the coast and west to I-95. The donations helped provide temporary housing, clothing and other necessities while victims began to rebuild.
“We would get together with the Red Cross and social services to find out who needed the funds more and we’d write checks to agencies in those communities for them to disperse,” he said.
The golf tournament, which has been held annually for 20 years, is the other highlight for Barton.
“The camaraderie that’s been built around that tournament has always been great,” he said.
In addition to the many golfers who come out to play for the cause, other groups who volunteer in various capacities. This year, University of Mount Olive students distributed swag bags. Men of Faith, Integrity and Character cooked and served lunch. K-T Extinction, a Wayne County high school robotics competition team that is sponsored by Rotary of Mount Olive, was on hand to demonstrate its robot.
The total amount raised by Cabin Fever this year is being tallied., Last year’s tournament brought in $11,000. Corporate sponsorships help, Baldwin said, noting Mount Olive Pickle Co. and Southern Bank have supported the fundraiser since its inception.
Linda Grider, pastor at First United Methodist Church in Mount Olive, is the club’s newest member, having joined last year. Rotary’s 4-Way Test (Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?) and the community focus of club projects parallel her values.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” she said. “I want to be involved in the community, not just at church.”
Thankfully, dealing with disasters the size of the 1984 tornado is not the norm for the Mount Olive club. Funds the club raises typically are used to help individual families in need, student-led programs at UMO such as Coats for Kids and other local efforts including Christmas gifts for needy children and the elderly. Baldwin, who maintains rosy cheeks and a healthy white beard, readily dons his Santa suit for the cause. Club President Al Southerland attributed his love of giving back to his community to his mother. In his younger years he rode along as she volunteered around town.
“It’s fun to me,” he said. “I like to work in the community.”
As demonstrated by the Illinois club that helped Mount Olive back in 1984, local Rotary clubs are part of a much larger organization, Rotary International. There are more than 1.4 million Rotarians in 35,000+ clubs worldwide.
If you are interested in serving the local community while being part of an international team, Rotary of Mount Olive invites you to attend one of its Thursday meetings.
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