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Rotary Club installs new officers, announces several initiatives

By Steve Barrett 3 min read

The Waynesburg Rotary Club announced that new officers were installed during the club’s Zoom meeting on Aug. 5 to begin the club’s 84th year.

Officers installed were: David Mason, president; Mike Milinovich, vice president, Barbara Wise, secretary; Melody Longstreth, treasurer; Dr. Lawrence Stratton, past president; and Joshuah Dains, Jay Hammers, Kristy Borovichka, Bettie Stammerjohn and Casey Durdines, board members.

The Rotary Club also recently announced that club members Sheila Stewart and Julia Smith of First National Bank of PA, located in Waynesburg, is working in conjunction with Mike Wilson, a CPA at Donnelly Boland to help county business owners stay in business through the Small Business Administration program for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

In a release recently issued by the Rotary Club, President Dave Mason recognized Stewart and Smith for their diligence in the initiative.

“Working 10-12 hour days, six days a week for over five months, they managed to help over 30 local businesses in our area from closing their doors by helping them complete the lengthy and detailed application process to fund their payrolls through the SBA program,” Mason said.

“The SBA program has distributed over $525 million to small businesses across the nation to keep going during this pandemic, and our community is grateful that Greene County has received a portion of those funds.”

Mason added that the “silent victims” of the pandemic are not only the (hundreds of) people lined up at the food distribution centers each week for food in the area, but also the small businesses that struggle to stay open with reduced patronage that no one hears about.

“In my opinion, these members have exhibited being the best examples of ‘Service Above Self’ that Rotarians can be,” he said.

The club also announced in the recent release that members will be erecting American flags at the Greene County Fairgrounds and the Waynesburg Airport to show support for local veterans, as part of the club’s annual “Flags for Heroes” project.

This initiative is being coordinated by Melody Longstreth, executive director of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce, and Barbara Wise, retired executive director of Greene County United Way, who are both longstanding Rotary Club members.

The actual flag raising will be conducted by Rotary Club members with cooperation from the Waynesburg Lions Club.

The club also reported that Bettie Stammerjohn, also a longstanding member of the Waynesburg Rotary Club who serves as executive director of the Community Foundation of Greene County, has compiled over $129,777 in its Greene County Emergency Response fund.

Funds are granted to organizations that help provide food or support for those who have been laid off from their jobs during closures, families and individuals experiencing crises due to stay at home measures, or organizations finding new ways to continue helping their clients get the services they need while keeping their employees safe.

“Her (Stammerjohn’s) efforts are joined in the spirit of community collaboration with United Way of Greene County, several family funds, small business and individual donors, the EQT Foundation, Waynesburg University, Equitrans Midstream Foundation, First Federal Savings and Loan of Greene County, DTE Foundation and EquiTrans Midstream Corporation, to name a few,” Mason said.

Mason added that the Rotary Club continues to support the Corner Cupboard Food Bank by assisting with their community garden, regularly packing children’s food bags and donating money to help support their food mission to the community.

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