In June 1983, a small group of local businessmen got together and formally chartered the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach.
Today, the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary has grown into a respected nonprofit that has donated more than $1.5 million to local charities and community improvement projects. That legacy was celebrated Sunday, June 25, when 100 Rotarians and guests gathered to mark the club’s 40th anniversary. Held at Palm Valley Outdoors along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway, the celebration brought together Rotarians old and new who reminisced about the club’s early days and celebrated its philanthropic achievements.
Past president and event emcee Bruce Barber displayed items from a club time capsule, noting that when the club was founded, its membership was open only to men, who were expected to wear suits and ties to every meeting. Today, the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club includes 114 members — 34 of them women — and the dress code is a bit more relaxed.
Barber also recognized some of the founding club members who attended the celebration — among them, founding club President Steve Melching and past presidents Bill Hill and Jim Hoener. Current club President Doc Renuart, meanwhile, thanked Rotarians for remaining committed to the club’s motto of “Service Above Self” and for their efforts to support both Rotary International’s humanitarian and polio eradication efforts as well as the club’s efforts to raise money for countless local charities.
The Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach holds weekly breakfast meetings at Marsh Landing Country Club. Through its annual Mineral City Celebration, the club raises funds to support local nonprofits such as K9s for Warriors, the Council on Aging, BEAM, Beaches Dial-a-Ride, PACE Center for Girls, Boys & Girls Clubs and more. Club members also join together to complete local community service projects.
For more information or to learn how to become a Rotarian, contact pvbrotaryclub@gmail.com.
