Bedford- The Rotary Club of Bedford is a service organization dedicated to Lawrence County since 1919. While they donate to numerous local charities and non-profit organizations, their main focus is the gift of education. Rotary Clubs are part of Rotary International, the world’s largest and oldest community service organization.
The Rotary Club meets weekly at The Lawrence County Museum and always keeps its ear to the ground to find needs in the area. “You learn a ton of what is going on in the community,” said Rowena Cross-Najafe, secretary of the Bedford club.
Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self,” which is evident when you review the long list of charitable works completed by the local club and its members. They help by donating money, time, and resources to non-profits in the area, such as The Mens Warming Shelter and The Salvation Army.
“Our main focus is education,” Cross-Najafi said, “scholarships and the Rotary Exchange Program are two things the Rotarians do to further that.” The Rotary Exchange program brings international students to Lawrence County and sends our local students to learn outside the United States. They take education seriously to the point they have an educational presentation weekly at their meetings.
Throughout the year, you can catch the club participating in the Salvation Army Tree, hosting the Dr. Dan Schafer Fish Fry, selling mums, or hosting the Annual Mayor John Williams Scholarship toast, among others. The hard work and money collected at these events are for charitable purposes.
The club always seeks new members to help them further their community service goals. To learn more about joining the club, reach out through Facebook or come to a meeting. They are held weekly at the Lawrence County Museum at noon every Thursday.
