Rotary Club of Gloucester Twp-Pine Hill

Gloucester Township-Pine Hill Rotary

1975 to present

by

Jim Lilley

 

         As Rotary continued into the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and after changing the name from Blackwood Rotary to Gloucester Township Rotary the club gathered momentum and increased membership levels into the thirties and forties.  As with all Rotary clubs, membership went up and down due to economic conditions.  One of the big reasons for the increase in membership was opening of membership to women in the 1980s.  With this, Gloucester Township Rotary grew in stature with the advent of three women presidents within a six-year period. 

 

Gloucester Township Rotary continued to sponsor contributions to Little League, Girls’ Softball, Babe Ruth League, scholarships to middles schools and high schools, and numerous humanitarian projects.  One of the most important humanitarian projects commencing in the late 1980s is the fight to eliminate polio throughout the world.  This is an ongoing project.  As of Rotary year 2012, polio has been eliminated in all but four countries.

 

The Gloucester Township Rotary Club undertook many major projects.  Its greatest accomplishment was working with the Township Fathers on building a bigger and better library called the “Gloucester Township Rotary Library” located on the Black Horse Pike.  The Rotary gave the original library building on Blackwood-Clementon Road to the Township, which then sold the building for $250,000 to put toward building the new $1,000,000 building.

 

Other projects undertaken by the Club include the building of a Senior Citizen bridge, contributing benches to the Railroad Car at Blackwood Lake, building a playground at Lakeland for disadvantaged children as a result of a $3000 Humanitarian Grant from the District Rotary.  The Gloucester Township Rotary added $4,000 to $5,000 to complete the project.   

 

One of the Club’s major efforts has been “Fun Day”.  For over 23 years, the efforts by the members of the Club have provided 50 to 60 disadvantaged youth from the local fourth and fifth grades with a fun day on the Boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. 

 

For over 32 years, the Club has continued to send students entering the their senior year of high school to RYLA at Stockton State College for five days of leadership training.  This is a great program for the students to learn leadership skills for their last year of high school.

 

One of our most memorable events was our celebration of the Club’s over 50 years of service to Gloucester Township and the community in general.  Many past Rotarians and Presidents returned for the event.  Several Paul Harris Awards were awarded to Rotarians at the event.  It was an enjoyable event that many will remember for years to come.

 

The Gloucester Township Rotary Club has contributed over $100,000 to the Rotary Foundation over its fifty years in operation with events such as the Rotary Golf Outing, Fun Day, Gloucester Township Day, Fun Day, 50/50s and many other fundraising events.

 

The Gloucester Township Rotary Club absorbed the members of the Pine Hill Rotary Club and changed its name to The Gloucester Township-Pine Hill Rotary Club in July 2014.

 

The Gloucester Township-Pine Hill Rotary Club will continue to be a Township Leading Service Club providing humanitarian efforts to the local community and the worldwide efforts of Rotary International.