MSRE Service Projects

Service Above Self and Fellowship are foundational to Rotary.  To this end, the MSRE seeks to organize/sponsor club service activities throughout the year in which all Rotarians and other volunteers can participate.  As well, MSRE Rotarians participate in service activities sponsored by other Rotary Clubs, in District 7545, either virtually or in-person, when convenient.

In recognition of the variety of individual lifestyles and geographic spread of MSRE Rotarians, the MSRE encourages and recognizes individual MSRE Rotarian service activities outside of MSRE or District sponsored service projects, including service activities sponsored by other Rotary Clubs outside of District 7545 and internationally. 

 

Rotarian participation in any and all of these service activities provide opportunities for fellowship with other Rotarians, as well as provides opportunity to advance a better understanding of Rotary’s tenet of Service Above Self.

The MSRE utilizes the internet and other electronic technology to encourage, enable, and recognize participation in all the various forms of Rotarian Service Above Self.  Therefore, the MSRE commits to greater outreach and communications on the MSRE website, the MSRE Facebook page, email among/between members, and other means to invite, encourage, and report on community service opportunities of the MSRE, RI, Rotary District 7545, and other Rotary Clubs around the US and abroad for individual MSRE Rotarian participation and fellowship opportunities.

Run For It - This event raises funds and awareness for community organizations, projects, nonprofit agencies, educational activities, and charities located within the Tucker Community Foundation’s 8 county service area in WV.  This Community Foundation challenges participants to raise team support for the community cause of their choice during the Run For It annual campaign and then run or walk for that cause in a 2k/5k event in Davis, WV.  The actual event is a 2k (1.2M) walk and USATF- certified 5k (3.1M) race around the scenic mountain town of Davis, W.Va. during Leaf Peepers Festival.  The 2024 event is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. (Run For It (https://tuckerfoundation.net)

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) - RYLA events each year are organized by Rotary District 7545 participants for 9th grade student recommended and/or sponsored by District Rotary Clubs.  Each year D7545 takes the form of a three-day weekend retreat which includes presentations, activities, and workshops covering a variety of topics.  Over the last number of years, the MSRE has sponsored two RYLA students. ( RYLA )

Rise Against Hunger (RAH) – each year the MSRE contributes to, and MSRE Rotarians participate in, RAH events in Rotary District 7545. Rise Against Hunger events provide a fun, educational way for groups to literally lend a hand to people facing hunger across the globe. An assembly line process, with carefully planned sanitary precautions, is used to package thousands of meals which are boxed, shipped, and distributed to locations all across the globe.  A D7545 event organized each year in Morgantown, WV has packaged as many as 40,000 meals in one day, and a similar event is organized as part of the RYLA weekend with as many as 10,000 meals packaged in a few hours. (Rise Against Hunger)

Sierra Leone Peace Project - This project aims to promote peace and stability in Sierra Leone, fostering understanding and collaboration among communities. The MSRE has contributed financially to this project as coordinated by Rotary District 7545.  (READ the captivating story about meeting Princess Sarah Culberson )

Operation Paperback began in 1999, sending its first shipments of books US military bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.  Individual citizens, American families and community groups form a network of shippers that send around 15,000 books per month. This not-for-profit organization has shipped 2.9 million books to over 30 locations overseas. Among the 19,000+ volunteers from all 50 states, are Rotarians with the MSRE. (Operation Paperback)

The Eye Foundation of America (EFA) provides preventive eye care and treatment that is both affordable and accessible.  The overarching goal is to eliminate avoidable blindness, especially in children.  The EFA’s mission is to go where the need is greatest – often rural and remote areas of developing countries where there is not medical care or where the cost of medical care is prohibitive. A MSRE Rotarian is a principal in the EFA with her Rotarian father; and, the MSRE as well as other Rotary Clubs have been financially supportive of the EFA and with helping fund fellowships and scholarships for Opthalmologists to study in the US. (Eye Foundation of America )

Youth Leadership Awards (YLA) is a non-profit charitable organization established in 2023 to promote the education and skill development of leadership and ethics for young adults.  The mission of YLA is to raise funds needed to send high school and college students to the following important leadership programs:  the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) and the Rutland Institute for Ethics LEAD Scholars Program.  MSRE Rotarians have contributed financially to provide scholarships for students to attend this programs in WV.

Rotary International Foundation Share Fund – Individual MSRE Rotarians contribute financially to the RI Foundation.  The MSRE has received annual recognition for 100% participation in RI contributions!
Rotary International Polio Plus program – Individual MSRE Rotarians contribute financially to the RI Foundation toward RI efforts worldwide to eradicate Polio.

 

Additionally, beyond MSRE Rotarian time and financial support for programs organized through coordinated Mountain State Rotary e-Club efforts, listed below are some of the programs, needs, and activities for which time, talent, and/or treasure are provided by individual MSRE Rotarians in their ongoing Service Above Self as People of Action:
    •    Road & Rail-Trail Clean-Up (Morgantown Rotary Club)
    •    Bell ringing for Salvation Army (Morgantown Rotary Club)
    •    Soup Kitchen (Morgantown Rotary Club)
    •    Rotary Club of Morgantown Foundation (various Monongalia Co, WV service projects)
    •    Disaster Relief (for flooded areas in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia)
    •    Hunger Relief Program (International Fellowship of Christians & Jews)
    •    Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief (Rotary International initiative)
    •    Backpack Program (Rotary Club of Montserrat)
    •    Mountain State Rotary Alumni Association
    •    Jobs for Life
    •    Career Closet (Christian Help, Morgantown)
    •    Rotary Leadership Institute (Districts 7545, 7600)
    •    Disaster Response with Habitat for Humanity (Eastern US)
    •    Homeless Vets Housing
    •    Volunteer for Youth Soccer sports complex
    •    Non-perishable items provided to local food pantries (Fairmont Rotary)
    •    Hosting students participating in Rotary International Youth Exchange Programs

 

Service provided by MSRE Rotarians is ongoing – with ongoing projects, and new outreach, almost daily!  If you see something above that interests you, or for an invitation to accompany a Rotarian in any of this kind of service, please let us know.