Newport Rotary and Rotarians Recognized by District

District 7730 Clubs and Rotarians were recognized at the District Awards & Installation event on Saturday June 30, 2024 at the Waterline Brewery, Wilmington. District Governor (2023-24) Allen Quigley and District Governor (2024-25) CJ Crooks presided at the event. Newport Rotarians President Rachel Bell, President-Elect Dennis Barber, and Rotarians Rick Moreau, Anita Moreau, PDG Bevin Wall and family guests attended.

Newport Rotary was recognized as a District Governor Award Club for establishing, meeting and reporting a broad array of service oriented goals during the 2023-24 Rotary Year. Only 29 of 50 clubs were so recognized.  

Rotarians Rick & Anita Moreau were recognized with special District Individual Awards for Education Excellence for their roles in District Training and the Rotary Leadership Institute. 

Newport Rotarians were also recognized for their present or upcoming involvement in District Leadership as follows. PDG Bevin Wall as District Secretary & District Audit Chair; Pam Wall as District Trainer, and Rick Moreau as RLI Chair. 

In a District with 50 clubs, Newport Rotary remains heavily involved in leadership at all levels of Rotary. Thank you Newport Rotary! 

Click here for some event photos.

Photos from Newport Rotary's 75th Anniversary Cookout

Photos from the event can be seen by clicking here or at the following link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/w4Kjqfc4L7jyRbsi9. Enjoy!  

Newport Rotary 75th Anniversary Thank Yous

If you were able to attend, we hope you enjoyed the Newport Rotary 75th Anniversary Cookout. The friendship and fun was outstanding and the food wasn't bad either!! 

We thank our guests who attended including DGE CJ & Krystal, AG Barbara, all attending PDGs and Rotary Club of Morehead City (our club sponsor) members who attended.

Our special thanks to Maher & Mary Saikali (food) and cooks , Matt Shortway and Shortway Brewing (beverage) and all the Rotarians who participated in the program. 

We hope to see you at our next event!

Newport Rotary
Rachel Bell, Pres.
Dennis Barber, Pres. Elect
PDG Bevin Wall, Sec
PP Maher Saikali, Treas.
and the whole Newport Rotary team

Newport Rotary Celebrates 75 Years of Service

Newport Rotary was founded on June 17, 1949. That makes us- 75 years old! So, it's time to celebrate that milestone. Newport is not pretentious- it's the Town with Old Fashioned Courtesy- so we are having a cookout and inviting all of our friends. The stars aligned and June 17, 2024 is our regular Monday meeting day! We will have a cookout from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Newport Rotary Building, 245 Howard Blvd., Newport. If you're now in Newport Rotary, been a Rotary partner, or been a friend of Rotary at any time during the past 75 years - you are invited!

Click this link to let us know how many you have coming, so we can make sure to have plenty of room and food available. See you there!

Newport Rotarians Place American Flags on Veteran's Graves

Newport Rotarians (l-r) Tammy Blizzard,
Maher Saikali, Steve Blizzard, Joe Garner
and Dennis Barber stage the Flags   

Led by Club President-Elect and Town Mayor Dennis Barber, members of Newport Rotary placed flags on veteran graves in Newport area cemeteries on Wednesday, May 23, 2024 ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. In addition to PE Barber, Newport Rotary members Steve Blizzard, Tammy Blizzard, Maher Saikali and Joe Garner participated in the project.   

This is a new project for Newport Rotary. In previous years, Newport Rotarians have been called into service to repair older gravestones in historical areas of town cemeteries, and have occasionally done lawn care in neglected areas, along with the Troop 61 Scouts. In addition to being a part of the world's oldest and most prestigious service organization, Newport Rotary serves as Newport's "Chamber of Commerce" and often fills in where a community need is spotted. Thank you PE Dennis for the donation of the flags! Click here for photos.

Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation's foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women. Originally called Decoration Day, it was formalized by a "Memorial Day Order" issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan in 1868. Veterans from the American Civil War to present are buried in Newport's many cemeteries. 

Join Hospice Service Day

The Morehead City Noon Rotary Club has a planned Day of Service at 9:00 AM this Saturday, April 27 and we would be happy to see you there if you can help us. We will do a "Day of Service" at the SECU Crystal Coast Hospice House on Big Rock Weigh in Newport. We plan to clean up the exterior and grounds. The project is being coordinated by our President-Elect Tim Necaise. If you have a garden hose and work gloves, please bring them. If you have access to a pressure washer, that would be great as well. Thank you in advance. I look forward to seeing you there. PDG Doug Wolfe, Morehead City Noon Rotary Club.  

Newport Rotary Hosts Middle School Essay Contest

Essay Winners with their Rotary sponsors 

Newport Rotary hosted local middle school winners of the "Rotary Four Way Test Essay Competition" on April 15, 2024 at their regular meeting. The three contest winners at the Carteret County level were Madeline Haines (Sponsor, Rotary Club of Morehead City), Emma Marshall (Sponsor, Rotary Club of Morehead City- Noon) and Anna Shortway (Sponsor, Newport Rotary).

Each of the winners presented their essays live to assembled club members, family, Rotary sponsors and school representatives. District Governor Elect C.J. Crooks of Jacksonville, Assistant Governor Barbara Johnson of Morehead City and their club sponsor presented each winner with a Certificate, Four Way Test Coin and a monetary prize from their sponsoring Rotary club. See photos from the event here. 

AG Barbara Johnson also recognized Madeline and Anna for winning at the district level for top three out of more than 100 submissions and they were invited to present their essay at the upcoming District Conference for Southeast North Carolina Rotarians.

The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:

Of the things we think, say or do

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Newport Rotary President Rachel Bell invited the Essay Contest Winners to lead the club in reciting the Four Way Test at the conclusion of the meeting.