Rotary Clubs Join Forces

Form largest ‘Service Above Self’ group in area with 134 years of impacts

By Emily Weaver
Daily Record of Dunn

DUNN – Two Rotary clubs with a collective 134-year history of service projects joined forces to make an even greater impact on the communities they serve.

Wednesday afternoon marked the first meeting of the new Dunn Area Rotary Club — which includes members from the 100-year-old Dunn Rotary Club and the 34-year-old Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club. Both groups of “service-above-self” professionals came to the table with impressive resumes of difference-making impacts.

The Dunn Rotary Club is known as Harnett County’s oldest civic club and has given an estimated $850,000 in charitable gifts and scholarships to its communities. Its annual service projects include taking kids to their first ballgames, supporting local museums and delivering meals to homebound seniors through Meals on Wheels.

The Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club has made a difference through the Buddy Backpack program making sure kids have food outside of school and through the 4-Way Test Coloring Book program, teaching Rotary values of truth, fairness, benevolence and camaraderie to second-graders in Dunn and Erwin. 

Rotarians of both clubs have assisted in roadside litter cleanups, ringing the bell to raise money for the Salvation Army and packing 100,000 meals to feed the hungry through Rise Against Hunger. Both clubs have honored students for achievements and awarded scholarships. And both clubs have added to Rotary International’s impacts around the world through polio relief, Alzheimer’s research and mission trips bringing clean water to struggling nations and renovating churches. 

Local Rotarians have rolled up their sleeves to build homes and give blood to save lives in emergencies. They have clothed orphans and given them Christmas. They have fed law enforcement and emergency responders each year as a thank you. 

And now, the Dunn Area Rotary Club looks to have an even greater impact.

The combined club’s membership stands at more than 65 strong with guests on Wednesday who were ready to join. It is now the largest club in District 7710’s Area 4, which includes clubs in Angier, Lillington and Fuquay-Varina.

New officers of the Dunn Area Rotary Club, which is operating under the 100-year-old charter, are: Rob Jones as president, Larry Snipes as secretary, Dr. Jessica Elmore as president-elect, Kim Hargrove as treasurer, Matthew Hayes as vice president,  Elvin Butts as sergeant of arms and Mark Johnson and Tammy Williams recognized as past presidents.

The Dunn Area Rotary Club’s 38th annual golf tournament is set to be held Sept. 18 at the Chicora Golf Club. Sign-ups for volunteers and fundraising committee members have begun.

History of Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club

The Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club was chartered on May 14, 1991.

Elvin Butts, a charter member of the club, offered the following history of his group.

“We started as a lunch-time club and have remained so during our history,” he said.

“I think we chartered with 30-plus members. Of those charter members there are two who are still actively involved, Sherry Johnson and myself.

“Jesse Alphin, a member of the Dunn Club, was the district governor of District 7710 at that time, and one of his goals as district governor was to plant at least one new club during his tenure. The Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club was the fulfillment of that goal. It was started to fill a couple of needs.

“First, there was a desire to bring the town of Erwin into the Rotary mix thus the name Dunn-Erwin. Also, at the time, many Rotary clubs still had the mindset that Rotary was primarily for businessmen only. Therefore, often women and minorities were excluded from becoming a part of Rotary. It was Jesse’s desire that there would be a club in our area that embraced all business persons regardless of race or gender. Therefore, the Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club, from its beginning, has been a mixture of men and women from a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds.

“The Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club has been noted for its fun loving nature. Laughter and a sense of camaraderie has been a major strength of our club. In addition, we have embraced the overall motto of Rotary International, ‘Service Above Self.’ Over the years we have been involved in a number of service projects in our community, at the district level, and internationally. The signature service project for the Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club has been the 4 Way Test Coloring Book Values Education Program that we have been involved with for many years with second grade classes at Dunn Elementary School and Erwin Elementary School. In my opinion, this has been our greatest impact upon our community.”

History of Dunn Rotary Club

The Dunn Rotary Club was chartered in 1924.

“On July 21, 1924, a group of 18 community-minded men met in the rooms of the old Dunn Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of organizing a Dunn Rotary Club,” The Daily Record reported on Oct. 14, 1955.

Among those men were: Granville Tilghman, John W. Draughon, Marvin Wade Sr., Dr. J.R. Butler, George Metz, Charlie Baker, Marlon C. Butler, George K. Grantham, Dr. H.C. Turlington, John W. Thornton, F. Grover Britt, J.M. Sherwood, Abe Mattox, Lofton Tart, Nathan Johnson Sr., Sam Fleishman and W.S. Snipes.

Ford Johnson, of the Clinton Rotary Club, helped guide the group’s first steps and at another meeting 17 days later, the gathering became an official club on a motion by Grantham and a second by Draughon.

“The officers elected to take charge of the new Rotary Club were as follows: President Abe Mattox, local pastor; Vice President George K. Grantham, a druggist; Secretary-Treasurer John M. Sherwood, a cashier at First National Bank; and Sergeant-at-Arms Dr. J.R. Butler, a dentist. The board of directors consisted of the aforementioned officers and John W. Draughon, Marvin Wade Sr. and Granville M. Tilghman.”

The Dunn club was sponsored by the Clinton Rotary Club.

The Dunn Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary with Dunn-Erwin Rotarians in attendance at an October ceremony.