Rotary Club Of Lemon Grove Is Paying It Forward

Most of the 18 members of the Rotary Club of Lemon Grove assemble each Monday at 12:10 p.m. for a meeting with lunch and a speaker. The group gathers dutifully at Anna's Family Restaurant on Broadway every week. The exception is the first Monday of the month, when they meet in the library room at Golden Avenue Elementary School.

I attended last week’s Rotary meeting at the school as a guest after expressing interest in hearing their speaker, Jim Wieboldt of the Sheriff’s Department, talk about .

What gracious hosts. The Rotarians I met could not have been nicer in making me feel like part of the family. All the members came over to introduce themselves to me. Each shook my hand, with a smiling face. We sat informally around four student library tables, sharing a simple lunch of fettuccine Alfredo with a side salad and the obligatory dinner roll. The friendly banter in the room suggested a group that been around each other for a fair amount of time. Very much like a family.

Before the presentation began a group of students led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and followed it with the school’s Peace Pledge. Then it was an inspirational blessing from one member, while another sparked a rousing rendition of “God Bless America.” I really did feel inspired.

After Wieboldt’s talk, the Rotarians did what they do best—take action to help others. From local community projects to global issues, the worldwide organization of more than 34,000 clubs gets involved.

This week it was pasting labels inside the front of dictionaries, which they then distribute free to every third-grade student in Lemon Grove. Club secretary Jackie Boehmke told me that they see a lot of smiling young faces when the books are handed out.

“Even with the Internet nowadays, when they get something in their hands you can tell it really means something to them,” she said.

According to club treasurer Kathleen Olsen, the Lemon Grove club began in June 1954 after being sponsored by the La Mesa club, which in turn was sponsored by San Diego Club 33. Club 33 is currently celebrating its centennial year. Olsen told me that at one time the Lemon Grove club had 50 members, and has included many community leaders over the last 57 years.

The local club has sponsored many international and community projects during its long history. This year, during the annual Rotarians At Work Day in April, club members painted the base coat on city utility boxes, which were then beautified by community artists. The club has also partnered with Golden Avenue School. So far, they have refurbished the teachers lunchroom, sponsored the After School Science Program, and helped with the annual golf tournament.

International projects in recent years have included: donating shoes, lunches, and desks to several schools in Tijuana; helping to feed South African children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic; microcredit loans to women in economically depressed countries; and even support for mechanical cows in Ecuador that provide nutritious soy milk to children in impoverished areas. The Rotary Club of Lemon Grove has also donated funds to the Rotary Polio Plus campaign, which is associated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s effort to eradicate polio on the planet.

What does it take to change the world? Rotary believes it starts with a commitment to “Service Above Self”—their longtime motto. The goals of the organization are to combine the skills of business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards, and help build goodwill and peace worldwide.

The Rotary Club of Lemon Grove is always looking for a few good members. If you have a helping hand and a desire to make a positive difference in the world, this could be the group for you.