WHEREAS, the Rotary Club of Waynesboro, a noble and distinguished civic organization serving the community of Waynesboro and beyond through a number of programs and initiatives, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024; and

WHEREAS, the first organizational meeting of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro was held on December 12, 1924, at the Shenandoah Inn, with Colonel Morgan Hudgins elected president and Pliny Fishburne elected vice president; and

WHEREAS, for 100 years, the Rotary Club of Waynesboro has met over lunch on Thursdays, first at the General Wayne Hotel for more than 50 years, then at the Waynesboro Country Club from 1992 to 2020, and most recently at Orchard Creek; and

WHEREAS, the first reported service project of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro involved beautifying the grounds of the local library; the organization's members have since generously devoted their time and treasure to a plethora of organizations and supported a variety of endeavors to assist youth and better the community; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to the dedication of its membership to the mission of the Rotary Foundation, more than 200 members of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro have received Paul Harris Fellow awards over the club's history; and

WHEREAS, in 1987, Doris Hulvey and Mary Ann Everly became the first women to join the Rotary Club of Waynesboro; they were soon followed by others, including Flo Ayers, who was the first woman elected to the organization's board of directors, and Kathleen Heatwole, who became the organization's first woman president in 1994; and

WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club of Waynesboro donated more than $29,000 to assist local agencies in their response to the historic public health crisis; and

WHEREAS, to commemorate its centennial, the Rotary Club of Waynesboro has collaborated with local partners to establish a traffic playground in an area of the South River Preserve, creating a community resource that will promote well-being by improving young people's understanding of traffic rules and safety; and

WHEREAS, through visionary leadership and the indefatigable efforts of its volunteer members, the Rotary Club of Waynesboro has helped to make Waynesboro a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Rotary Club of Waynesboro hereby be commended on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Rotary Club of Waynesboro as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's history and legacy of service.