We celebrated Veterans Day earlier this month and lots of people were thanking veterans all over the country for their service. It got me thinking about the word service and all the different forms it may take. Of course, there’s service to our country. I can’t think of any more worthwhile or heroic effort than to offer up yourself, in many cases, to serve the country that gives you the abundance of freedoms that we enjoy.
But there are lots more ways to serve. Customer service is very important in most industries, but it appears to be a dying art. Struggling businesses can help their bottom line by reducing payroll but at what price? I can remember pulling in to a filling station — the forerunner of todays’ gas/convenience store — and having the attendant pump my gas, check my oil, put air in my tires and clean my windshield. Talk about customer service!
You can serve on committees and boards at church, school and your favorite non-profits. Some service even includes serving meals to others. Volunteerism is at the core of any service. Nobody can make you show up to help clean the banks of Deckers Creek. You go because it means something to you. You volunteer to serve. And, in today’s world, we need more people who are willing to serve.
West Virginians are a generous and helpful people, always willing to lend a hand when needed. We’ve all seen it — a neighbor whose house has burned down and lost everything and entire communities come together to provide needed help and support. They are servants of good. That’s the kind of service we hold dear.
Let me tell you a little about a service organization that I hold dear. Rotary International does wonderful things locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Our simple but direct slogan is “Service Above Self.”
The ideals of this organization are the same in Morgantown as they are in India, as in Germany, as in Argentina, as in Japan. Rotary International is one of, if not the, largest service organization in the world. Founded over 110 years ago in Chicago, it has 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs. There are five clubs in the Morgantown area and a recently formed satellite club. More on our clubs in a minute.
Rotary International bridges cultures and connects continents to champion peace, fight illiteracy and poverty, promote clean water and fight disease. We do this locally and globally.
As I said, there are five clubs in Morgantown and all meet at different times and locations. The Rotary Club of Morgantown is the oldest club in town, having celebrated our 100th year in 2019. We meet downtown at noon every Thursday at the Hotel Morgan. Cheat Lake Rotary meets at 7:30 a.m. every Tuesday morning at the Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department. Morgantown North meets at 7 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at WVU’s Erickson Center, and the Westover club meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at Bob Evans. There is also an electronic club, the Morgantown E-Club, that meets 24/7/365 via the internet. And we’ve just formed a new satellite club in west Mon County, the Mason Dixon club. Lots of opportunities for your “Service Above Self,” if you are so inclined.
Any of the local clubs would be happy to tell you more about their experience with Rotary International. The contact information for each club follows:
Cheat Lake — Kevin Armstrong kevin.armstrong@n2pub.com
E-Club — Rick Phalunas rphalunas@gmail.com
Morgantown — Sarah Woodrum scwoodrum1@gmail.com
Morgantown North — Andrew Price nass00025@gmail.com
Westover — Pam Christopher pst1950@yahoo.com
Think about your service. Are you doing enough? Do you want to do more? It’s really easy to serve. You just have to want to. Won’t you join us?
