| The Damascus Rotary Club was founded on September 4, 1956. The Olney and Sykesville clubs were instrumental in getting the club of 26 members started. Today we have only one charter member, Lew Gladhill. Charlie Beaver joined the club in its first year. The first president was Col. E. Brook Lee, and the treasurer was Walter Brown. By the 1970s the club's membership had grown to 45. | ||
We've Been Meeting Weekly Ever Since |
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| For 36 years the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxilliary served meals to club weekly. In 1993 we moved to the former Little Italy Restaurant in the Damascus Shopping Center. Since late 1997 we have been meeting at the First Baptist Church of Damascus at 8850 Damascus Road. Meetings are held there every Thursday at 7:15 pm. | ||
Our Great Summer Programs Tradition |
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Spouses are an integral part of our club's actvities. | |
| Summer Programs were started in the 1960s by Walter Brown as a way to build the club's treasury. This tradition continues today with very few changes. At first it was just the members getting together, but now spouses (above) are an integral part of the club's activities and add a lot to the wonderful camaraderie and fellowship we enjoy. | ||
Our Fund Raisers Are Most Important! |
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Over the 42 years the club has been in existence we have undertaken several different approaches to fund raising. The most successful programs, which are still being held, include the following: |
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Beef Raffle: Now history, this annual fund raiser was probably our longest-running and for many years our biggest. Until the late 1980s we brought a live steer to the annual Damascus Carnival. Also, prior to the remodeling of the carnival grounds we had our own booth, which was built by members of the club. |
| Golf Outing: The Gold Outing is our current major fund raiser. It has been in existence since 1987. We have held it at the following courses over the years: |
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| This fund raiser continues to grow in popularity each year. Within the past several years we had a corporate sponsor. Beneficiaries have included the Carol Jean Cancer Foundation's Camp Friendship, a summer camp for children with cancer. |
| Other Fundraising Activities: Other memorable fund raisers that we've held in the past include: |
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How to Contact Us
| Our full name: Rotary Club of Damascus |
| Our postal address: P.O. Box 4, Damascus MD 20872 |
| Our club is in Rotary District 7620, encompassing Central Maryland and Washington, DC. |
| Our weekly meetings are currently being held at: the First Baptist Church, 8850 Damascus Road (Route 108), Damascus, every Thursday at 7:00 pm. During July and August we have summer programs and meet at other locations. If you are planning to attend a meeting, please contact us for confirmation of the locale. |
| Please send Club membership inquiries and general electronic mail to James E. Kerich, CPA, at: jkcpa@bellatlantic.net, or visit our Feedback page on this Website. |
| Please send comments about problems with,
or the condition of, this Web site to Collingwood Harris at: collingwood@email.msn.com |
| This Website is edited, designed and maintained as a community service by Collingwood Harris at www.collingwood-usa.com. The Rotary International emblem (gear) graphic was designed by Tord Elfwandahl for RI. The emblem, the "Show Rotary Cares" logo and the Paul P. Harris photo were downloaded from the Rotary International Website (www.rotary.org) in accordance with Rl's policy governing Internet usage as set forth in the RI Manual of Procedure (035-EN) and are copyright © by Rotary International. Graphics and illustrative Damascus-area photos by Collingwood Harris. Rotary Club of Damascus activity photos by various Club members from the Club's archives. Photographs, graphics and textual portions of this Web may not be copied or reproduced except upon receipt of written permission from the Club. Scrap Book page news photos are the properties of the media to which they are credited and may not be reproduced without their direct permission. Site contents copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 by the Rotary Club of Damascus. |
