Los Fresnos Rotary Club Gets Official Recognition

by Tony Vindell/LFN

The Los Fresnos Rotary Club was officially recognized, making the newly created chapter a bona fide member of the international organization.

Rotarians from Cameron and Willacy counties showed up to support the club during an elegantly decorated ceremony and dinner held Thursday, June 6, at the city’s Community Center.

Each of its 22 members were introduced by other fellow rotarians and committed themselves to work on worthy causes such as exterminating polio from the face of earth.

Donald Henderson and Val Champion are the club president and vice president, respectively.

Henderson said he was honored to serve in such a capacity.

“I am proud of the commitment made by our twenty-two members to bring Rotary to Los Fresnos,” he said. “This club brings together our community leaders and professionals with a goal to help people in our community in education and public service.”

Alma Ortiz, president of the Rotary Club of Willacy County, said they were here to recognize the new members during what she described as an official installation.

“We are all glad to have you as the first Rotary Club of Los Fresnos,” she said. “We welcome all the new twenty-two members.”

Ortiz then proceeded to call each member and noted that the local chapter of the Rotary Club of Los Fresnos doesn’t have one but three women rotarians.

Andrew ‘Andy” Hagan, district governor with the club’s South Texas District 5930, said one of the chief goals of the Rotary Club is to help people worldwide.

“We are involved in the eradication of polio,” he said. “There still are three countries where polio is endemic.”

They are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

Hagan said a 51 clubs and about 1,817 members belong to the district he represents.
Worldwide, the Rotary Club has more than 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries with a membership of more than 1.2 million volunteers.

During the ceremony, the club recognized City Manager Mark Milum as an honorary member because of his support toward the organization.

Krazy Knife Catering of Los Fresnos was in charge of all the arrangements, including a four-course meal.