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Suppose you could make the lives of the Wyoming Valley’s disabled children and their families a bit better.
Or maybe provide area residents with easy access to a top-flight college. Or plop a public golf course right in the heart of the Valley, putting affordable recreation within reach of hardworking people.
You most likely would jump at the chance to play a role in just one of these community-enhancing projects, let alone lay claim to all three.
So, then, why not join an area civic group such as the Rotary Club? During a century of service, beginning in 1916, the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club’s members have powered an impressive list of projects that include supporting the startup of the Wyoming Valley Children’s Association, the area’s Penn State University campus and the city’s Hollenback Golf Course.
“The Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club has been a bedrock of community service in this region,” said club member Mark Riccetti Jr., director of operations and special events at the Luzerne County Historical Society.
Chartered by Rotary International, the local club intends to mark its 100th anniversary in June with a dinner at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. Not surprisingly, proceeds from the $100-per-ticket affair will benefit local charities. Rotarians, like their compatriots in other do-good organizations, typically find a way to make their gatherings count for more than the consumption of calories.
Regrettably, participation in the nation’s civic groups isn’t nearly as strong today as in prior decades, perhaps because young adults wrongly picture them as stereotypical, 1950s-era supper clubs. Increasingly, leaders are trying to shed that image. Among the tactics: Roll out the welcome mat for minorities and women, and get more flexible with scheduling, encouraging members to get together at hours that suit their lifestyles, not necessarily the 5 p.m dinner hour.
Seek out a local service club that fits your geographic and other criteria. Rotary International’s club finder indicates its groups in this region represent communities including Kingston, Plains Township, Plymouth, Mountain Top, Pittston, Dallas, Wyoming, Scranton, Freeland and Clarks Summit.
And that, of course, doesn’t begin to include the many other options available in Northeastern Pennsylvania, such as local affiliates of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Junior League, Kiwanis Club and Lions Club.
Together with like-minded people in these clubs, you can give our community more of what it needs: caring.