New Rotary club becomes official during celebration

District Governor Dan Dougherty welcomed the new Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club.

The new Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club had its charter celebration Saturday night, making it the newest Rotary in the Mon Valley.

Club members marked the official establishment of their charter as Rotary District Governor Dan Dougherty, formally welcomed them.

“This is more than just a formation of a new club, it’s the beginning of the new legacy of service, leadership and fellowship in this community,” Dougherty said. “Being able to welcome an entire club of almost all new Rotarians is a truly special occasion that I’m delighted to be a part of.”

The celebration took place at St. Spyridon Hellenic Center in Monessen, welcoming Rotarians from across the Pittsburgh region. Representatives from up to a dozen clubs attended.

Dougherty presented the official Mon-Yough charter to club president Brian Mentzer, Donna Vesely, and treasurer Christie Cope. Rotarian Al Delucia served as emcee.

Dougherty called up each club member and provided them with new pins and membership certificates. All members stood together and said the oath to become official Rotary members.

Vesely said putting together the charter celebration was a group effort among the members, and it demonstrated how they’re willing to work for the Mon Valley community.

“This event took a village, and it was the village of those new members that stepped up to the plate and volunteered,” Vesely said, “working together to try to make something that all of us can share one way or the other.”

One of the first projects the Mon-Yough Rotary Club took under its wing, even before it became official, was to sponsor the Charleroi Area High School Interact club.

The club lost its sponsor when the Charleroi Rotary Club shut down. Members of the Mon-Yough club saw an opportunity to fill a gap and decided to help the Charleroi High School club.

During Saturday’s charter celebration, Charleroi High School Interact members were inducted by Dougherty. Newly inducted Rotarian Jessica Hefferan, a teacher at Charleroi Area High School and sponsor of the Interact club, said they have 15 members.

“We have worked really closely with Donna Vesely to help get this Rotary club started,” Hefferan said. “She’s gone with us on a few Interact trips with different Interacts from other schools. Just trying to gather ideas, see what other schools are doing well, see what works for them, how they’re fundraising, mimic that, and kind of make it work for our district.”

Hefferan said the Charleroi Interact club is working on a spring initiative that involves placing Easter eggs with positive affirmations throughout the school campus. They also fund-raise to donate toys, clothes and other supplies that families might need.

During the celebration, the students had a 50/50 raffle to raise money. They also placed Easter eggs throughout the event tables and allowed attendees to help the Interact club by putting money inside the eggs and returning them to the students.

New members of the Mon-Yough club are excited to begin working on community projects. Andreia Sands, one of the new members inducted Saturday, said she’s eager for what’s to come.

“I am extremely excited, it has been a lot of work to get to this point,” Sands said. “To see the people who are supporting us and the kids and the schools who we are getting involved with, we’re all excited, because now we can get our hands dirty. We’ll get to start doing some projects. So I think it’s gonna be awesome.”

Cope was happy to see everyone at the charter celebration and excited to begin working with the local community.

“Having all the support from the other clubs in the district means a lot to us,” Cope said. “Getting to interact with them and get feedback from them means a lot to me and a lot to our club, being that we’re new, so taking some of their experience and wisdom means a lot to me.

“It feels so good, I feel like we can start going out into the community and start making a difference. I’m excited, very excited.”

The club will soon place a Peace Pole at Monessen City Park and is planning to renovate some of the structures located there.

The club is accepting new members, and anyone interested is encouraged to reach out by sending an email to myrvrotary@ gmail.com. More information about the club can be found on the Rotary Club of Mon-Yough River Valley Facebook page.