What an incredible morning for our Vidor Rotary Club Community 5K Run/Walk!

We were so excited to see our community come together for a morning of fitness, fellowship, and fun. From our runners and walkers to our volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and Rotarians working throughout the event, it took so many helping hands to make our 5K a success!

A special moment during this year’s race was seeing our local firefighters participate in full gear in remembrance of 9/11. Their dedication added an incredibly meaningful element to an already special morning and reminded us of the service and sacrifice of first responders everywhere. 🇺🇸🚒

Our Rotarians were busy throughout the morning helping with check-in, the course, awards, refreshments, vendors, and all the behind-the-scenes details that brought the event together.

Most importantly, events like our Community 5K allow the Vidor Rotary Club to continue giving back and supporting projects that make a difference right here in our community.

Thank you to everyone who ran, walked, volunteered, sponsored, donated, or simply came out to cheer! We are so grateful for the support of our community and already look forward to the next one.

💙💛 Service Above Self — one mile at a time!

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite moments as we welcomed President Brandon Gaspard-Cole and kicked off a new year of service. Let’s create lasting impact together!

Thank you, Benoit's Louis Hall Event Center for hosting!

Thank you, Wendy's for the beautiful (and yummy dessert).

Thank you, Two Amigos for the taco bar.

2025–2026 Rotarian of the Year

Some people serve because they’re asked. Others serve because it’s simply who they are.

For the 2025–2026 Rotary year, we are proud to recognize someone whose heart for our community shines through in everything he does. While he loves serving Vidor, his greatest passion is investing in the youth of our community.

Whether he’s driving the Green Bus, handing out meals to kids, standing in the rain at our BBQ fundraiser, packing hundreds of meals at Feed the Funnel, or simply showing up with a smile at our regular club meetings, you can always count on Matt to be there with a servant’s heart.

His dedication was on full display when he attended RYLA alongside two Vidor High School juniors. The experience made such an impact that he stepped up to serve as our 2026–2027 Youth Chair, ensuring even more students will have opportunities to grow through Rotary.

Please join us in congratulating our 2025–2026 Rotarian of the Year, Matt LaPray!

Matt, thank you for leading by example and for reminding us what “Service Above Self” truly looks like. We are grateful to have you as part of our Rotary family.

In May 2026, we were proud to award four scholarships to graduating seniors from Vidor High School. Thanks to the success of our Link Sale, Trivia Night, and Hometown Holiday Fundraiser, we were able to invest in the future of our community's students.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our community for your continued support. Your generosity allows us to provide opportunities for local students and make a positive impact in so many ways. Congratulations to our scholarship recipients, and we wish them the very best as they begin this exciting new chapter!

On the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month, you’ll see our Green Bus out in the community for our Read and Feed program! This is the largest service project of our club and one that is very close to our hearts. Through this program, we provide meals and promote literacy by sharing books with children and families throughout our community. We are proud to serve our neighbors and make a positive impact, one stop at a time.

August brought us inspiring presentations that highlighted the impact of local organizations and the arts in our community.

🌟 Maureen McAllister, fellow Rotarian from the Orange Texas Rotary Club and President & CEO of United Way of Orange County, shared just how much United Way is doing for our neighbors. Members were especially excited to hear about the upcoming Day of Caring on Friday, September 12. 

🎭 JT Robertson from the Lutcher Theater gave us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at planning and upcoming performances. Rotarians and guests loved getting a sneak peek at the incredible shows taking the stage right here in Southeast Texas. Big thanks to JT and Andy for giving us a front-row seat to the magic of the Lutcher!

Select ‘read more’ to see the pictures of our speakers!

Rella Powell, Secretary and Amanda Gibson, President we’re proud to present the award to our rockstar, Gayle Nagai!