The GainesvilleHaymarket Rotary Club:

Creating lasting change locally and around the world

BY BETH LUNA PHOTOS BY LUKE CHRISTOPHER

You may be familiar with Rotary Club, at least by name. But do you truly know about the organization and the work its members do? The Rotary motto, Service Above Self, is a perfectly focused statement that leads Rotarians on an international scale in the work of the club. The Rotary.org website states that, “Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change –across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” To think that Rotary is active not only around the globe but here in Northern Virginia, helping the local community directly, is inspiring.

“Rotary is broken down by country and then state district, and our district encompasses most of Northern Virginia”, said Cyndi Cooke, Rotary Foundation Chair and past president, Rotary Club of Gainesville/ Haymarket. “The district is further broken down into different clubs throughout the region. Rotary was established in the 1920s as an all-men’s service organization; in those days, the businessmen had money to take on projects. Women were officially admitted in the mid-1980s; Rotary has since found what a powerhouse the women are!” she added, laughing. The Gainesville-Haymarket Rotary Club was founded in 2002 to serve Gainesville, Haymarket and Western Prince William County.

Rotarians are a varied group of business and profession- al leaders who come together to work toward a better, healthier community. Cyndi, a Gainesville native, is a retired nurse, and she joins the approximately forty members of the chapter who work as human resource managers, landscape architects, graphic designers, financial advisors, writers, attorneys, and more. The group recruits year-round.

“Dues are $75 a quarter, and we meet for breakfast two times a month and lunch twice monthly,” said Cyndi. “We socialize and work together for the better of the community. Also, we no longer require members to attend meet- ings; we want people who want to help and be involved, regardless of their schedule.”

Generally, the local chapter had a varied concentration when it came to pledging community support. “We work on a lot of smaller initiatives,” Cyndi said. “We have raised funds to spread around – aid for Ukraine, many veteran-focused events and projects, support of Pace school with holiday baskets, event and library volunteers, teacher appreciation gifts, graduation celebration, school supplies, and more.” Rotary helped one teacher who needed some large home repairs, connecting her with professionals. “In another example, we provided a grant for CASA – one of our members is a retired attorney and he volunteers and advocates for them.” The list of support provided to the local community by Rotary Club is extensive, both through volunteer hours and dollars raised. However, members were thinking of a shift in concentration.

“We wanted to have one major, long term focus that we could help the community with,” Cyndi said. “We talked about it and considered a service project like building something major. What we ultimately have decided to latch onto is a mental health initiative for teens.” The group began talking to people about the mental health initiative and gained members because those people want to be involved. “My neighbor is a social worker, and she came to her first meeting for that very reason,” she added.

“We found that providers are slammed, and kids are in crisis,” Cyndi said. “Everything from internet influence to peer pressure, all exacerbated by COVID. After talking to health care providers and schools, we want to produce a parent education piece on what to look for and to help erase the stigma. We want to connect those in need with providers if the school isn’t able to do that. We don’t have the structure down yet – we just started working on it a couple of months ago – but we are moving forward.”

The group identified a house in Haymarket Park that is empty, and they plan to talk to the city about it. “We would like to turn it into a teen youth center, where kids come hang out, play board games and socialize. Maybe we have volunteer counselors who can help to identify those kids who might be in trouble.” As part of their discovery process with mental health professionals, they found there were many people in need who can’t afford therapy. “We could come in and fundraise to cover that,” she said. “It is astounding to find out how many kids are really hurting right now when you talk to mental health professionals.”

The chapter also supports international initiatives alongside regional clubs, donating funds to different projects. “We have sent help through Rotary International for its Polio Plus campaign to eradicate polio, for water sanitation in Zambia, and more,” Cyndi said. “I helped West Springfield Rotary Club work with Sierra Leone – a country on the west coast of Africa – put seven teachers through the university for teaching, provide solar panels for electricity so they could do adult education at night, and provide a cell phone kiosk which is an income source for schools.”

Cyndi personally raises money in part to help with the Sierra Leone initiates with her longarm quilting business Creative Threads for Hope. “People bring me their pretty quilt tops and backing fabric, and I put the quilt together,” she said. “I have a longarm machine which sandwiches the three layers to complete the quilt with the help of software directing me where to stitch. We are currently using the quilts to raise money for a water filter project that will improve the lives of people who live in the three villages we work with by filtering up to 2000 liters of water a day.”

Rotary Club serves as a great vehicle for individuals who want to make friends, connect their business, and dig in to help fulfill needs in their own community and abroad. Check the Gainesville Haymarket Rotary Club website for membership information and fundraisers throughout the year. hg

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