The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory: Club Number: 6022

The Rotary Club Of Lake Hickory

Our History of Service
The Rotary Club of Hickory-East (later renamed the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory) was formed in 1973. The informational meeting of Hickory-East was held January 10, 1973 and the organizational meeting was held on January 24, 1973. The charter was granted on February 21, 1973 and presented at a charter banquet on June 5, 1973. The original membership included 32 men. The club number is 6022 in District 7670, Region USCB, RI Zone 33.

The members of the Rotary Club of Hickory who were active in forming and organizing the Rotary Club of Hickory were Charles M. Snipes, President; Oliver W. McClintock, Vice President; George Warlick, Secretary/Treasurer; and the club directors: Kenneth H. Bishop, Raymond Bost, Charles E. Jeffers, Carl L. Matheson, Jr., Earl Roberts, Gordon H. Sperry and W. Clyde Taylor. The preceding administration of President Pope Shuford had been very interested and active in the formation of Hickory-East with assistance from Cass Ballenger, Past District Governor Walter Nau, Charles A. Hunter and District Governor Joseph W. Wells.

The Rotary Club of Hickory-East was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Hickory, which has an enviable record of extending the Rotary movement. The Rotary Club of Asheville sponsored the Hickory Club, holding the organizational meeting on February 11, 1921. The Hickory club was chartered by Rotary International on March 1, 1921.

The first officers of the Rotary Club of Hickory-East were William R. Ballew, President; Jerry L. Cole, Vice President; Kenneth L. Ferguson, Secretary/Treasurer; and the directors were Fred C. Abernethy, Jr., E. Edwin Bradford, G. Maurice Capps, Hume S. Collins, and Wilfred A. Wells. The Rotary Club of Hickory-East (Rotary Club of Lake Hickory) sponsored the Rotary Club of Hickory Sunrise.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory currently has over members. The club originally met at Mom 'N Pops' Ham House in Hickory. That location no longer exists. The programs are currently held at Noon each Tuesday at Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, NC.

Club member, Bill Loehr, is a connection between the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory and the four original Rotarians. Bill's ancestor Gustavus Loehr was one of the four original Rotarians along with founder Paul P. Harris, Sylvester Scheile and Hiram E. Shorey. The first Rotary meeting took place in Gustavus Loehr's office. Gustavus was an Ohio coal broker.

Working with youth is Rotary's long-term investment in the future of the community, the nation, and the world. The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory sponsors the Interact Club of St. Stephens High School. Students of the Month attend the Rotary Club program each month. (see photo)

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory's chief philanthropic focus is youth scholarships. In December 1983 President Chuck Helms moved to establish a scholarship for area high school students. Donations of $170,000 from Ken Ferguson, Dave Ludwig, Flip Vineyard and Classic Leather established the first funds. In the spring of 1984 the club held the first Rotary Basketball Classic Tournament to raise money for the scholarship fund. The event raised $9,725 the first year and was repeated in 1985 to raise $11,286. The next year Dick Garlitz chaired a newly established committee charged with setting scholarship guidelines. Initial guidelines earmarked $2,500 raised from the Basketball Classic (held at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory) to be awarded to a rising Lenoir-Rhyne student. The club also earmarks scholarship funds for students who attend Catawba Valley Community College. After the basketball tournament ran its course, the club sponsored an annual road race to raise scholarship funds (see photo).

Dick Thompson chaired the scholarship committee in 1986 and was followed by Ken Ferguson, who has the longest tenure. In 2003, Julie Packer became the chair of the scholarship committee. Initial scholarship awards ranged from $750 to $6,000 between 1985 and 1991. After 1991, awards ranged from $2,500 to $7,500 per scholarship. Since the first four scholarships were granted in 1986, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has awarded $217,900 to 69 students.

Currently, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory's major event is the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament. This youth soccer event raises funds to award in scholarships and charitable gifts to local nonprofit agencies. The Galaxy Shootout is one of North Carolina’s largest soccer tournaments with 1,800 participants. In 2003, the soccer tournament earned $44,302. The club awarded eight scholarships, amounting to a total of $20,000 (see photo). High school award winners were chosen from applicants graduating from a high school in Catawba County, based on academic excellence, financial need, and each student’s personal demonstration of the Rotary motto “Service Above Self.” The club also donated $2,500 to “Project Potential,” a program within the Hickory Public School System to foster the academic success of at-risk middle school age children.

In addition to scholarship funding, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory donated $8,686.50 to nonprofit organizations in the community in 2003. The club has contributed so much to the community that it is impossible to document it all in the limited space provided in this historical narrative. We have listed just a few examples here. In 1973—two years after the club was chartered—members made the papers by planting 10 red maple trees in front of Hickory High School (see article attachment D). In 1978, the City of Hickory in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Hickory and Hickory-East (Lake Hickory) developed the Rotary Park located on Lake Hickory. The park contains 19 acres of land, a wooded walking trail, a dock, a boat ramp, a clubhouse and two picnic shelters. The club also donated a large shelter to the City of Hickory’s new Henry Fork River Regional Recreational Park, where our annual soccer tournament is based.

As well as supporting the children and agencies in Catawba County, the club reaches out to the International community. The club made a major contribution to the Rotary International Health, Hunger and Humanity Program in 1978-1979. In 2000, we sent a ton of medical supplies to LaOroya, Peru and a planeload of disaster relief supplies to Nicaragua. In 2003, the club exceeded our goal for donations to the Polio Plus campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Other international service projects have been sponsorship of the American Field Service Program, hosts to the Australian and Korean exchange teams, sponsorship of District 7670 Chan Gordon Scholarships and supported the Exchange Student Program by sponsoring a male Pilipino student who attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1977. Rotary International recently approved our application for the exchange program in which three of our club members will travel to Nicaragua in 2004.

Lake Hickory is a generous and active club. Out of the 107 members, 78 (72% of the membership) are Paul Harris Fellows. We have 22 Benefactors (20% of the membership). Ninety-five percent of our members are Rotarian Donors. The club’s all-time giving amount is $155,242.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory is committed to the motto “Service Above Self” and strives to enrich our community by giving our time, talents and charitable gifts in the name of Rotary.

The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory: Club 6022 - District 7670
	The Rotary Club Of Lake Hickory
BACK MAIN PAGE	Our History of Service The Rotary Club of Hickory-East (later renamed the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory) was formed in 1973. The informational meeting of Hickory-East was held January 10, 1973 and the organizational meeting was held on January 24, 1973. The charter was granted on February 21, 1973 and presented at a charter banquet on June 5, 1973. The original membership included 32 men. The club number is 6022 in District 7670, Region USCB, RI Zone 33. The members of the Rotary Club of Hickory who were active in forming and organizing the Rotary Club of Hickory were Charles M. Snipes, President; Oliver W. McClintock, Vice President; George Warlick, Secretary/Treasurer; and the club directors: Kenneth H. Bishop, Raymond Bost, Charles E. Jeffers, Carl L. Matheson, Jr., Earl Roberts, Gordon H. Sperry and W. Clyde Taylor. The preceding administration of President Pope Shuford had been very interested and active in the formation of Hickory-East with assistance from Cass Ballenger, Past District Governor Walter Nau, Charles A. Hunter and District Governor Joseph W. Wells. The Rotary Club of Hickory-East was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Hickory, which has an enviable record of extending the Rotary movement. The Rotary Club of Asheville sponsored the Hickory Club, holding the organizational meeting on February 11, 1921. The Hickory club was chartered by Rotary International on March 1, 1921. The first officers of the Rotary Club of Hickory-East were William R. Ballew, President; Jerry L. Cole, Vice President; Kenneth L. Ferguson, Secretary/Treasurer; and the directors were Fred C. Abernethy, Jr., E. Edwin Bradford, G. Maurice Capps, Hume S. Collins, and Wilfred A. Wells. The Rotary Club of Hickory-East (Rotary Club of Lake Hickory) sponsored the Rotary Club of Hickory Sunrise. The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory currently has over members. The club originally met at Mom 'N Pops' Ham House in Hickory. That location no longer exists. The programs are currently held at Noon each Tuesday at Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, NC. Club member, Bill Loehr, is a connection between the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory and the four original Rotarians. Bill's ancestor Gustavus Loehr was one of the four original Rotarians along with founder Paul P. Harris, Sylvester Scheile and Hiram E. Shorey. The first Rotary meeting took place in Gustavus Loehr's office. Gustavus was an Ohio coal broker. Working with youth is Rotary's long-term investment in the future of the community, the nation, and the world. The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory sponsors the Interact Club of St. Stephens High School. Students of the Month attend the Rotary Club program each month. (see photo) The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory's chief philanthropic focus is youth scholarships. In December 1983 President Chuck Helms moved to establish a scholarship for area high school students. Donations of $170,000 from Ken Ferguson, Dave Ludwig, Flip Vineyard and Classic Leather established the first funds. In the spring of 1984 the club held the first Rotary Basketball Classic Tournament to raise money for the scholarship fund. The event raised $9,725 the first year and was repeated in 1985 to raise $11,286. The next year Dick Garlitz chaired a newly established committee charged with setting scholarship guidelines. Initial guidelines earmarked $2,500 raised from the Basketball Classic (held at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory) to be awarded to a rising Lenoir-Rhyne student. The club also earmarks scholarship funds for students who attend Catawba Valley Community College. After the basketball tournament ran its course, the club sponsored an annual road race to raise scholarship funds (see photo). Dick Thompson chaired the scholarship committee in 1986 and was followed by Ken Ferguson, who has the longest tenure. In 2003, Julie Packer became the chair of the scholarship committee. Initial scholarship awards ranged from $750 to $6,000 between 1985 and 1991. After 1991, awards ranged from $2,500 to $7,500 per scholarship. Since the first four scholarships were granted in 1986, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory has awarded $217,900 to 69 students. Currently, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory's major event is the Galaxy Shootout Soccer Tournament. This youth soccer event raises funds to award in scholarships and charitable gifts to local nonprofit agencies. The Galaxy Shootout is one of North Carolina’s largest soccer tournaments with 1,800 participants. In 2003, the soccer tournament earned $44,302. The club awarded eight scholarships, amounting to a total of $20,000 (see photo). High school award winners were chosen from applicants graduating from a high school in Catawba County, based on academic excellence, financial need, and each student’s personal demonstration of the Rotary motto “Service Above Self.” The club also donated $2,500 to “Project Potential,” a program within the Hickory Public School System to foster the academic success of at-risk middle school age children. In addition to scholarship funding, the Rotary Club of Lake Hickory donated $8,686.50 to nonprofit organizations in the community in 2003. The club has contributed so much to the community that it is impossible to document it all in the limited space provided in this historical narrative. We have listed just a few examples here. In 1973—two years after the club was chartered—members made the papers by planting 10 red maple trees in front of Hickory High School (see article attachment D). In 1978, the City of Hickory in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Hickory and Hickory-East (Lake Hickory) developed the Rotary Park located on Lake Hickory. The park contains 19 acres of land, a wooded walking trail, a dock, a boat ramp, a clubhouse and two picnic shelters. The club also donated a large shelter to the City of Hickory’s new Henry Fork River Regional Recreational Park, where our annual soccer tournament is based. As well as supporting the children and agencies in Catawba County, the club reaches out to the International community. The club made a major contribution to the Rotary International Health, Hunger and Humanity Program in 1978-1979. In 2000, we sent a ton of medical supplies to LaOroya, Peru and a planeload of disaster relief supplies to Nicaragua. In 2003, the club exceeded our goal for donations to the Polio Plus campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Other international service projects have been sponsorship of the American Field Service Program, hosts to the Australian and Korean exchange teams, sponsorship of District 7670 Chan Gordon Scholarships and supported the Exchange Student Program by sponsoring a male Pilipino student who attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1977. Rotary International recently approved our application for the exchange program in which three of our club members will travel to Nicaragua in 2004. Lake Hickory is a generous and active club. Out of the 107 members, 78 (72% of the membership) are Paul Harris Fellows. We have 22 Benefactors (20% of the membership). Ninety-five percent of our members are Rotarian Donors. The club’s all-time giving amount is $155,242. The Rotary Club of Lake Hickory is committed to the motto “Service Above Self” and strives to enrich our community by giving our time, talents and charitable gifts in the name of Rotary.
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