Last Meeting's Program

District Governor Tina Curtis Visits Moline Rotary, Highlights Lasting Impact.

MOLINE, Ill. — Moline Rotary Club members were encouraged Monday to look beyond individual projects and consider how the work they do today can continue making a difference years into the future.

Rotary District 6420 Governor Tina Curtis visited the club for its Oct. 5 meeting, praising Moline Rotary for the breadth of its community involvement and challenging members to think about what the club should look like five years from now.

“What stood out to me wasn’t one particular project,” Curtis said. “It’s the breadth of what the club is doing in this community.”

Curtis highlighted Moline Rotary’s investments in young people through scholarships, Interact, RYLA, Youth Exchange and the club’s newest effort — establishing a Rotaract Club at Black Hawk College.

Gary Francque updated members on the developing Rotaract organization, which will be one of only two Rotaract clubs in Rotary District 6420. A core group of Black Hawk College students has already begun meeting, with upcoming organizational meetings expected to establish membership and a board of directors before the club applies for its Rotary International charter.

Curtis said programs such as Rotaract give young adults another pathway into Rotary, particularly for those who may have first encountered the organization through literacy projects, school programs, scholarships or other Rotary-sponsored activities.

“Lasting impact happens when what we do today creates something that continues after today’s Rotary meeting,” Curtis said.

She connected that theme with Rotary’s broader emphasis on peace, noting that communities are strengthened when people feel safe, connected, valued and able to contribute.

Curtis also praised Moline Rotary’s involvement in literacy and education, efforts addressing poverty and hunger, environmental projects, community safety initiatives, grants and hands-on service projects.