WHEREAS, the Carver Road Ruritan Club, a local chapter of Ruritan National, Inc., which is dedicated to bettering the Carver community and surrounding areas in Henry County through fellowship, goodwill, and service, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024; and

WHEREAS, the Carver Road Ruritan Club, chartered in 1974 with 35 civic-minded founders, was the first predominantly Black Ruritan Club in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the members of the Carver Road Ruritan Club dedicated themselves to improving the Carver neighborhood through service projects, programming, and charity, while also serving as a gathering center and encouraging community pride and cohesiveness; and

WHEREAS, the Carver Road Ruritan Club has developed a plethora of philanthropic efforts over the years, including financially supporting the community's volunteer fire and rescue squads, donating to initiatives for feeding the homeless, sponsoring youths attending 4-H camp, awarding scholarships to area high school graduates, sponsoring road clean-ups, regularly delivering food and gifts to the neighborhood elderly, and erecting neighborhood gateway welcome signs; and

WHEREAS, the Carver Road Ruritan Club has been a community hub, hosting events ranging from baby showers to repasses, facilitating community meetings with local officials and businesses, and serving as the meeting venue for other civic, nonprofit, and fraternal organizations; and

WHEREAS, the members of Carver Road Ruritan Club have always offered an unwavering commitment to making the Carver community a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Carver Road Ruritan Club hereby be commended for its legacy of service on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Carver Road Ruritan Club as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's contributions to the Carver community, Henry County, and the Commonwealth.