THE HISTORY OF THE PLANO METRO ROTARY CLUB
How We Started
Plano Metro Rotary Club was chartered in December, 1984 and is in Rotary District 5810. The club meets at 12 PM every Wednesday, at Gleneagles Country Club.
The first six months of our existence, club meetings were held at Tino's Mexican Restaurant in Collin Creek Mall. The restaurant's owner, and one of our founding sponsors, Tino Trujillo, made his restaurant available to the club for those first meetings. Two interim moves were made. The first move was to Jamani's Restaurant for about one year. Following Jamani's, the club met at Willow Bend Polo & Hunt Club for less than six months. The club has been at Gleneagles ever since.
Our Programs
The club's primary fundraiser has been a Las Vegas style casino event. It was an event that was inherited from Plano West Rotary. St. Elizabeth Seton's was home to the first two or three, followed by one at Larry Lange Jaguar. Southfork Ranch was the next location. The casual and spacious atmosphere created at Southfork Ranch proved to be a favorite among patrons and the event remained there for many years. However, as overhead escalated at Southfork, the club sought another location. In 2000 it was held at the Canyon Creek Country Club, under Chris Jones's leadership. The next year it seemed a perfect fit that Gleneagles Country Club should be the home of our major fundraiser. Through the hard work and effort of club volunteers, their spouses and generous business leaders, the event is an enormous success, known as Mardi Gras Casino Night.
Plano Metro Rotarians have historically supported programs that serve youth both locally and internationally. Some of the recipients of our club's contributions have included: PISD Help the Kids Program, Camp RYLA, the Hendrick Foundation, Student Venture, Polio Plus, Boys and Girls Club of Collin County, the YMCA, Samaritan Inn, and the Tahuichi Soccer organization for Bolivian children. However, other groups have benefited from the club's generosity including: the Wylie Tornado Relief Fund, Mission Honduras, Phoenix Ministry, Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Food Panty and P.U.S.H., to name a few.
Some of our most recent efforts have been support for the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center, City House's project, known as "My Friends House," CASA of Collin County PISD Head Start Program and CPS's Adoption Awareness Carnival. We completed an International water project in India, and one of our very own Rotarian's, Shaheen Salam, went on a Rotary Grant mission to Afghanistan. We also participated with the other three Plano Rotary Clubs in the Centennial Projects, supporting "My Friends House" and the Plano Children's Medical Clinic.
Our primary focus is our "Mary Crowley Scholarship Fund." This is used to provide scholarships to PISD graduates, that would like to continue their education but don't have the resources. Since its' inception in 1987, the club has given over $100,000 to more than 50 graduating seniors.
On the social side, our Club holds a monthly Happy Hour, which moves around the city for fellowship and fun.
"Service Above Self" has been demonstrated time and again. Members have volunteered for neighborhood house painting projects, lawn clean-up and painting the CITY House, the Citizen of the Month program at Hedgecoxe Elementary, delivering Meals on Wheels to local senior citizens, and partnering with three other Rotary Clubs to hold The Rotary Round-up to benefiting joint Centennial projects. We have sponsored a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar and opened our homes to International Exchange Students and member's of RI's Group Study Exchange. We have also contributed to own Plano Metro Rotary Foundation which is a 501 (c) (3).
Our Leadership
Members who have served the club as President include: Ray Wheless, Bob Swepston, J.C. Posey, Ken Chitwood, Ed Jones, Jerry Fleming, Bill Langley, Robert Jansson (2 terms), Milt Driver, Lewis Brooks, Jeff Chase, Mano Mahadeva, Linda Denton, Geoffrey Glidden, Dan Cheek, Chris Jones, Steve Young, Gayle Bicik, John Bock, Kathi Dye, Jeff Harrison, David Harvey, Debbie Moon , Steve Parry and Andrea Stroh Thompson, Shelley Strickland, Bert Starr, Chuck Bolden, and Deborah Wolfgram. Plano Metro Rotary Club was the first club in Plano to have a woman Rotarian on the roster.