Rotary International turned 106 on July 1, but retains as much vigor and vitality as any time in its history. Rotary founder Paul Harris announced to the Rotarians of his day, “This is a changing world. We must be prepared to change with it.” A century later, Rotary continues to change in order to serve our ever-changing world.

During Brentwood’s recent CornFest, members of the Brentwood Rotary illustrated the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” by staffing the Rotary booth. Between six and eight Rotarians endured the noise, crowds and heat, cheerfully working side by side for the good of the city and the reputation of the club during each hour that CornFest was open.

In addition to operating the CornFest booth, Brentwood Rotary’s plans for the coming year include annual projects such as the Rotary Golf Tournament, Texas Hold ’Em Tournament, Holiday Pancake Breakfast, Police Officers Appreciation BBQ, Safety Fair Pancake Breakfast, Trade Club Dinner, and Dictionary Distribution to every fifth-grader in Brentwood and Oakley.

Other projects include sponsoring Interact Clubs in each of the three local high schools; sponsoring the Roteract Club at Los Medanos College; hosting several school pancake breakfasts; sponsoring the Kohl’s Shopping Spree for underprivileged children; serving dinner at the East County Historical Society BBQ; sponsoring a team in the Relay for Life; and supporting the Every 15 Minutes program in the Liberty Union High School District.

The Brentwood Rotary Club joins its 1.2 million fellow Rotarians in 32,000 clubs scattered across 159 countries in working toward the Rotary International’s current theme: Building Communities and Bridging Continents.

Rotary International conducts and assists in numerous projects of international service. One of the best examples is a project to eradicate polio, an effort begun 22 years ago when the disease was rampant. With the help of Rotary International, by 2008 the number of nations whose people suffer from polio had been reduced from 122 to four.

The club recently celebrated its first Rotary Lunch under incoming President Paul Kelly. Incoming Sergeant At Arms Olga Vidriales provided seven laugh-filled minutes in “recognizing” birthdays, anniversaries and other events. Club members are serious about service, but have fun during meetings.

The high spirits of the 82 club members are due, in part, to the wonderfully successful year conducted by outgoing President Fred Ehler, who in the coming year will continue to serve in a leadership capacity as the International Chair.

The Brentwood Rotary Club meets Mondays at noon in Nines Restaurant.

– Contributed by Theresa Coffman