2022 First Day of School Cleanup a Success

Newport Rotary President Mark Eadie
(2nd fr l) and the cleanup crew

A dozen Newport Rotary members and friends spent the day before the first day of school at Newport Elementary School cleaning up, mowing, weed-eating and hanging flowers to make the school grounds look well-kept. 

For over ten years, Newport Rotary has helped the school put its best foot forward when greeting their new students and parents on the first day of school. Budgets and schedules make county mowing and maintenance unlikely to occur in a timely manner. This year there was the added hurdle of security wall construction that was ongoing. Even so, we love to pitch in and help. 

Kudos to Rtn. Maher Saikali for organizing the effort. 

To our new returning elementary school students- have a great first day of school! 

See our photo album here. 

Teacher Supplies Project Dedicated at Newport Elementary School

Clara’s Closet, the 2022-23 Newport Rotary major project, was dedicated in the Newport Elementary School Teacher Resource Room on August 26, 2022 with Newport Rotarians, school administrators and representatives of the Clara Wall family in attendance. The project was immediately unveiled and provides Newport Elementary School teachers with teacher and classroom supplies which may not be provided by the school system. Clara’s Closet will be available for the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. 

Click here for Clara’s Closet event dedication photos. 

Click here for more information on Clara’s Closet. 

Local Banker is Latest Newport Rotary Member

Jacob Hardesty, Branch Manager of First Citizens Bank, Newport, is Newport Rotary's most recent member. Hardesty was inducted by Past District Governor Bevin Wall of the club and welcomed by current District Governor Nancy Carr, who was conducting her official visit to the club. See photos here. 

Clara's Closet Project to Meet Local School Needs

Newport Rotary President Mark Eadie has announced that Clara’s Closet is the 2022-23 Newport Rotary major project. It seeks to provide Newport Elementary School teachers with teacher and classroom supplies which may not be provided by the school system. Clara’s Closet will be located in the NES teacher resource room and will be available for the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. Teacher surveys are being used to target the appropriate supplies. Start-up and mid-year needs are being provided. 

The project is named in memory of Clara Wall, “Miss Clara”, a career third-grade teacher at Newport Elementary (1960s-1980s) whose husband, son and daughter-in-law were all Newport Rotarians.

Clara Wall

Clara’s Closet is funded by Newport Rotary, The Newport Halloween Hootenanny, a grant from The Rotary Foundation and private donors.

The Clara's Closet dedication will be held Friday, August 26, 2022 at 10:00 am at Newport Elementary School. The event will be livestreamed. All are invited to attend. 

Newport Rotary supports local "Period Poverty" nonprofit

In it's most recent meeting Newport Rotary voted to support Katey's Kits, a local nonprofit organization fighting "Period Poverty". The project fits squarely within Rotary's Seven Areas of Focus - as a "Protecting Women & Children" project. Katey Simmons, the club's speaker on August 1, 2022, is a Newport native and started the project when looking for a Gratitude project idea in the Spring of 2021. She came across the unbelievable statistics in the US and was even more shocked by the lack of access in our own community. That day, she decided that she would change her focus to those who attend school with her children and are their neighbors in Eastern NC. Katey's Kits was created to help young women have access to the supplies they need monthly and gain the confidence and the ability to participate in school and extracurricular activities without worry of where their pads will come from. For more detail on the project or to donate money or supplies, visit their website at https://kateyskits.wixsite.com/website 

District Governor Visits Newport Rotary

2022-23 Gov. Nancy Carr

District Governor Nancy Carr visits Newport Rotary on August 15, 2022 at 5:50pm. We are looking for 100% member attendance and bring a guest! We are also having Gov. Nancy do a "Member Welcome" for our newest member, Jacob Hardesty, our Newport branch manager at First Citizens Bank. In case you missed it, Gov. Nancy's August statement is below.

I am honored to serve as your District Governor for the Rotary Year 2022-23. We are already one month into our journey and I am pleased to see that so many of you are intentionally incorporating RI President Jennifer Jones' theme Imagine Rotary. Imagine the possibilities for your club, your community, and the world. Dream big!

As I visit the clubs in our district, I am in awe of our amazing Rotarians, the outstanding service projects both local and across the globe, and the compassion and kindness shown to others. Please continue to invite me to your service projects, fundraisers and socials.

August is Membership Month, and we encourage everyone to imagine the greater impact we can achieve by engaging others with a Service Above Self spirit and a passion for fellowship. This is also a time to celebrate your club’s many accomplishments, the impact of your service projects, and your appreciation for each other. A fun August club social could be just what is needed during this relentless heatwave!

“Imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.” – Jennifer Jones, RI President, 2022-23