Local Community Service

2010 marks the final installment of our 3-year pledged totaling $20,000 towards the new Bill Brown High School Stadium project. The money was used for enhancements which included artificial turf and a 5,400-square-foot field house with locker rooms for both the Blacksburg Bruins and the visiting teams.

The Town of Blacksburg, acquired a 9.9-acre parcel of land from former Blacksburg resident and Rotarian, Captain T. P. Wong to develop an urban park. For its Rotary Centennial Project , the Rotary Club of Blacksburg implemented the master plan, spent many hours clearing the land, built a pavilion, and put in a brick pathway and benches. Our club is proud to have created a special place for generations to enjoy.

In 2003, our club participated in the creation of a pocket park on the Huckleberry Trail, named Talbot Park. This park was funded and constructed by the Rotary Club of Blacksburg in cooperation with Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg in memory of Richard B. Talbot, a former club president who served from 1993 to 1994. Talbot’s efforts helped to make possible the Virginia/Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicines. He was the first Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and was killed in a plane crash. In 2009, we rededicated Talbot Park placing with a permanent marker continuing our quest to make a difference in our community.

Presented each January, the Rotary Club of Blacksburg recognizes a non–Rotarian who meets the standards of Rotary International through the Pat Cupp / Ward Teel Citizen of the Year Award. The award recipient is a person or group who sees a problem, gets involved and achieves results and lives by the Rotary motto "SERVICE ABOVE SELF”. The Citizen of the Year began in 1990 and is named after two of club’s deceased members who where model citizens. In 2009 we recognized the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer student squad which was founded in 1969 by four students and today has approximately 40 members. This group was acknowledged for their service to the community in the campus shootings of April 16, 2007 and for the squads continuous rescue work over four decades.

Our club completed a community service project with Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley an organization with tutors individuals who have low literacy levels, are illiterate or who want to learn English. The Rotary Club of Blacksburg, along with the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Rotary Club, renovated the Literacy Volunteer office space to contain an on-going used book sale area to help the organization generate valuable operating funds to sustain their mission.

The Rotary Club of Blacksburg recognized Frankly H. Moreno with the “Four Avenues of Service Citation” award. This award recognizes Moreno’s outstanding efforts in the club. The citation commends the service carried out by an individual Rotarian in the club, thereby reinforcing the importance which Rotary places on the personal involvement of each club member in Rotary service activities.

Other programs our club supports regularly include:

The Montgomery County Christmas Store assists low-income families in Montgomery County during the Christmas season. Our club volunteers as a group to work the Christmas Store each season and we donated $1,500 in FY 2010..

The Women’s Resource Center offers shelter and services for victims of domestic and sexual violence. In FY 2010, the club donated to $1500.
 
The Free Clinic of the New River Valley provides high quality health care and dental services to people who lack insurance and cannot afford healthcare. In FY 2010, we donated a check for $1500.

Each October 16th, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day to heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world. Our club participated in this year’s event by hosting a food drive to benefit the local food pantry of the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program

Interchange Cleaning (4x a year): The Rotary Club of Blacksburg maintains the intersection of Price Fork Road and the 460 by-pass interchange. This clean up challenge began in 1992 after a charter was attained through the Virginia Department of Transportation. By the terms of the agreement, the group meets at 8:00 AM on a Saturday each quarter and completes cleaning by 9:00 AM. Typically, 10 to 12 members participate. Trash bags and vests are provided.  A club attendance credit, or make-up, that can be used at any time, is given to participants.


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(c) Blacksburg Rotary Club, 2011

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