The Rotary Club of Towsontowne – Hunt Valley will be born on December 31, 2022. What makes a great merger is complementary strengths between two organizations. Both clubs have been in existence almost the same amount time – Towsontowne for 32 years and Hunt Valley for 31.
Hunt Valley approached Rotary Assistant District Governor, Delores Edwards Harding to inform her that they no longer had sufficient resources for the administrative aspects of maintaining their club due to dwindling membership. However, they still had a strong commitment to serving their community by supporting the youth programs they established, including the annual 4-Way Test ethics competition for elementary, middle and high school students in 16 schools, sponsoring an Interact Club at Dulaney Valley High School, donating hundreds of new winter coats as part of Operation Warm for needy elementary and middle school students, and sponsoring a local graduate for a Rotary International scholarship abroad. In addition, the club cares for and supports two Rotary Park rest areas along the 20-mile NCR (Northern Central Railroad) bike and nature trail from Hunt Valley to the Pennsylvania line. The Rotary District leadership suggested exploring a merger or satellite club arrangement with the Towsontowne Rotary Club.
Meanwhile, the Towsontowne Rotary Club was contemplating their future at the time. While it had a very strong international record of establishing eye banks to prevent corneal blindness and provide corneal transplants, in India and Bangladesh, it also had a track record of successfully initiating projects in Africa, Nepal and assisting Russia and Ukraine support their development as democracies. Furthermore, it was also engaged in working with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in providing a mobile health clinic to address COVID and mental health issues experienced by the Native Americans who live on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. These projects, plus Towsontowne’s ability to write grants to support global Initiatives and motivate other Rotary Clubs and organizations to help fund and participate in them were attractive to the Rotary Club of Hunt Valley.
More recently, the Towsontowne Club has focused many of their community efforts on one and done projects to help the homeless, provide vision screening, and refurbish computers for charities and Schools in Baltimore. So, the Towsontowne Club was looking to focus their local efforts to have more service impact.
The international focus of Towsontowne, and its Rotary know how from having two District Governors and two Assistant District Governors; along with its need to be more involved in Baltimore County and youth programming, made Hunt Valley and Towsontowne perfect merger mates.
If you’re looking to make an impact both in the community, and globally, come join us in the adventure we call ROTARY!
