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Why am I a Rotarian? My first true Rotary experience came when I was a junior at Spring Valley High School. A man kept coming to my wrestling practices and he kept working with me. I didn’t understand why and it took me many years to realize the sacrifice he made to help me become a good wrestler. Years later after having been in the Army and deciding to move back home to Columbia to raise my family, I ran into that man again, Tom Bates. He was still involved with wrestling, basically running the state freestyle program, but Rotary was also the sponsor of a very big wrestling tournament. Through my involvement with wrestling I continued to run into Rotarians. It became obvious to me that I needed to give back to the community and the best way to do that was to become a Rotarian. I have been involved in many different projects and programs within Rotary including: Table Talkers, Meals on Wheels, Homeworks, the bicycle rodeo, and most recently Gift of Life. The experience and satisfaction I get from giving and helping as a Rotarian is far better than I could ever imagine. The true giving spirit of all the Spring Valley Rotarians was most evident to me in our recent Gift of Life project. The support we gave the Palacios family from David, Panama was truly humbling to me.
- Brian Dunphy 1/18/10 Brian joined the Spring Valley Rotary club in 1996 and currently serves as the Gift of Life project coordinator. He is a First Vice President/Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors. |
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Why did I join Rotary? I joined Rotary for the business contacts. What I have found is that it means so much more. I am frequently moved by the time and money that my fellow Rotarians give to our community and to helping those in need. Spring Valley Rotary is teaching me about service above self, in a very practical way. I have been surprised to find that the kinship to Rotarians all over the world allows Rotary International to serve in ways that would be difficult otherwise. What a selfless group of people!
- Elise Bidwell 1/11/10
Elise joined the club in October of 2007 and now serves as the Sergeant-at-Arms for our weekly meetings. She is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. | |
What does Rotary mean to me? I really look forward to our Rotary meetings each week. It is wonderful to spend time with some of my closest friends and I know our programs will always be informative and entertaining. I enjoy the commitments that we make to our community and serving in various projects. In short, while Rotary is very important and makes a difference in my life, it is also fun and that is because of all the great people involved in our club!
- Julian Gibbons 1/11/10 Julian served as President of the Spring Valley Rotary club in 2004/2005 and is the Director of Public Relations for Palmetto Health. |
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Why am I a Rotarian? My father, Murray Davis, was a Rotarian before I was born and was a member of the Hartsville, Newberry, Spartanburg and Columbia Five-Points clubs, serving as president of the Spartanburg club, so I have always known of Rotary as an international service organization that somehow also provided entertainment for my parents. In 1996, two years after opening my architectural firm in Northeast Columbia, I was invited to visit Spring Valley Rotary by David White. I didn't need any explanation of how the organization worked or that the main purpose of Rotary was to serve. What surprised me was how integral this particular club's activities were to the Northeast Columbia area. Spring Valley Rotary is not just a club that fundraises to write checks for good causes. From ringing the Salvation Army bell at Wal-Mart, to participating in Meals-On-Wheels, delivering dictionaries to Richland Two third grade students, participating in Table Talkers with fifth graders at Conder Elementary School - many of the club's service opportunities take place in the neighborhood that we call home. My time as president during the 2006-2007 year was a blessing to me as I watched our members step up to the plate to serve the people of Northeast Columbia. Spring Valley Rotary is truly filled with members willing to roll up their sleeves to make this world a better place to live. I am honored to be a member.
Matt Davis 10/7/2009 Matt served as president of the Spring Valley Rotary club in 2006/2007. He is the owner of Davis Architecture, Inc.
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What Rotary means to me –
“Rotary has been an avenue for me to do what I love to do - work with people and provide a service to my community. I was fortunate to have a person like Dr. Steve Hefner invite me to the Rotary Club of Spring Valley. Here I am 18 years later, still a Rotarian serving my community. In 2006 I retired from Richland School District Two where I served for many years as the Executive Director of Community Relations Services. I have served our club as President-Elect, President, as a committee chairperson and a member of several of the service area committees. On the District level I served as Assistant Governor for three years and as a member of the nominating committee and the Long Range Planning Committee. I am a Paul Harris Fellow, a Sustaining Member, a Benefactor, and a Ten Star Rotarian.
Rotary has given me the opportunity to provide a service to not only my immediate community but to communities worldwide. When Katrina ravaged Louisiana, I was fortunate to be in the position to be the lead writer on a district grant to assist the schools and the families in the Rotary Club of Carrollton service Area. Rotary also gave me the means and opportunity to facilitate transportation for seniors in the Five Points and Northeast Area with the assistance and support of other Rotary Clubs in the area. I am most proud of being a member of an organization that provides: dictionaries annually to over 1500 third graders; mentors 5th grade students who are in need of adult influence; who work on the roof of elderly widow’s home; and provide support for its leaders to travel internationally to learn and share ideas on making this world a better place.
Rotary is international. Each member support international programs directly or indirectly, whether it is mosquito nets or clean water projects in developing countries or hosting exchange students. The work of Rotarians around the world fosters a global bond among people of all political, ethnic, and religious persuasions. I am convinced that this is one way to help get the world on one accord.”
Julia Boyd 9/30/09
Julia served as president of the Spring Valley Rotary club in 2003/2004. At the District level she served for three years as the Assistant District Governor. She is a retired administrator from Richland School District Two.
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