Change of guard held at White Pine Rotary Club meeting

By JAN TUCKER

[email protected]

Ontonagon - The changing of the guard was held Wednesday at the Ontonagon-White Pine Rotary meeting. 

President Jim Jessup presented the gavel to new president Janet Wolfe.

Wolfe, a Rotary member in Houghton for about 10 years, moved to the Ontonagon Rotary upon retirement from the U.P. Power Company.

Wolfe said she has a few goals for the Ontonagon Rotary in the next year. "I would like us to work for a 10 percent increase in membership," Wolfe said. The Ontonagon-White Pine club is one of the district's smallest with an official 10 members. She noted despite the small size, the club has made a serious impact on the community.

The club funded the gardens project at the Aspirus Long-Term Care Facility. What was once just a bare concrete slab with some picnic tables now has a flowering pergola and wide variety of flowering shrubs and gardens. Trees which line the hospital property were also included in the Rotary project. The group partnered with the Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital Foundation to expand the gardens to an even wider area.

The local group has two major fund-raising projects each year, a River Log Race at Labor Day and an Ice-Out Contest in the spring. Some of the beneficiaries were projects for SONCO Ambulance, the recreation center, Eagle Scouts, St. Nicholas Project, skates for children at the ice rink and lights at the Ontonagon Theater of the Performing Arts.

Wolfe also pointed to the international humanitarian work of Rotary worldwide. The organization is credited with helping to eliminate polio from most of the world, as well as clean water projects in poverty areas of the world.

In urging others to consider joining the Ontonagon-White Pine Rotary, Wolfe said the members enjoy the fellowship of others in the community and have pride in what they have accomplished in the county community.

On Wednesday at noon, the Rotary will welcome District Gov. Tina Hall to its meeting at the Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital.