Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary marks a century of aid

The Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary Club has spent 100 years serving the Lower Valley with local donations, deliveries and community events. Members regularly deliver Meals on Wheels lunches and have supported projects from school dictionaries to medical shipments abroad.

The Sharpsburg-Aspinwall Rotary Club is marking its 100th year of service in the Lower Valley. The small volunteer group has supported local needs through donations, events and outreach over many decades. Members meet weekly and take part in regular activities such as Meals on Wheels deliveries and summer fundraisers. The club follows Rotary International's mission of Service Above Self. Notable community work: - Members Don Friedman and John Arch deliver hot lunches each week from the Meals on Wheels kitchen at St. Edward Church and check in with residents along a local route. - Donations have included playground equipment, Free Little Libraries, thousands of dictionaries for third graders across several schools, and a $10,000 contribution for a library welcome desk. - The club shipped a truck of medical equipment to the nation of Georgia and supplied a freezer, slow cookers and shelf-stable food to the Youth Empowerment Project in Sharpsburg. - Members have hosted bingo at the VA hospital, sponsored youth athletic teams, supported Rotary International's polio eradication efforts and run fundraisers such as Funnel Cake Fridays. - The group meets at noon Thursdays at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club; membership has declined from about 50 when John Arch joined 35 years ago to roughly 10 members now. - Current projects include installing benches in Kennedy Park for Sharpsburg's 150th anniversary and staffing community events and fundraisers. Summary: The club's century of service has supported a wide range of local programs and occasional international aid, while sustaining neighborhood routines and community events. Membership is smaller than mid-1900s peaks, but longtime members continue fundraising and project work, including planned bench installations for the borough's 150th anniversary. Undetermined at this time.