It wasn’t that long ago that Rotary clubs were only open to men. But attend a meeting today at either of Harrisburg’s two clubs, and you’ll find something quite different.
Not only are men and women welcome at the Rotary Club of Harrisburg and the Keystone Rotary Club, but both currently have female presidents.
“It may have been an ‘old boys network’ at one time, but it certainly is not that way any more at the Rotary Club of Harrisburg,” said current President Una Martone, who daylights as president of another service organization, Leadership Harrisburg Area.
Martone, in fact, is not the first female president of Harrisburg Rotary. That honor fell to Karen Paris back in 1997, a step that, at the time, seemed almost revolutionary for a group then nearly nine decades old.
Since then, though, it’s become almost routine. Martone is the eighth female president of the 200-member group, which meets each Monday at noon at the Hilton Harrisburg.
A few blocks away at the Keystone Rotary Club, Jessica Sprajcar leads a 28-member organization that has had female leadership practically from the start.
The group is young, only eight years old, and says it’s the first “happy hour Rotary Club” in the metro area, holding meetings that are open to the public every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Brewing Co. on N. Cameron Street.
While they may meet at a brewery, please don’t confuse them with a drinking group.
Members are proud to have already raised more than $3,000 for a medical mission trip to Ecuador, scheduled for the spring of next year. They also are helping those in need to see better, with plans to provide free eye screenings and glasses to 150 people in Allison Hill this month. In addition, the club’s members volunteer regularly at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and do neighborhood cleanup projects twice a year.
Likewise, members of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg are firmly devoted to a life of service to others. Some of the group’s recent accomplishments include raising $5,000 for a local nonprofit organization and providing free vision screenings and glasses for hundreds of students at Foose Elementary School. Another $20,000 was raised for community non-profit organizations serving students and their families in Harrisburg. This spring, the club plans to make a donation of at least $15,000 to the Harrisburg School District.
Of course, every organization, however successful, has challenges, as well.
While the glass ceiling for women may have been broken, the Rotary Club of Harrisburg would like to expand its membership and leadership in other ways. For instance, the club would like to recruit younger members, as well as more minorities.
“Our club clearly understands that we need to cultivate new members,” said Martone. “We only ask that people devote themselves to service.”
The Keystone Rotary has somewhat the opposite challenge.
The club was organized specifically to appeal to younger members, thus the after-work meeting time, the brewery location and the generally casual atmosphere. But an emphasis on youth has raised its own issues.
“We’re faced with people moving because of their jobs or having babies and then not having the time to contribute any longer,” said Sprajcar. “So, we need to constantly attract new people.”
One thing that’s not in question for either club: women will play key roles going forward. Both rotaries plan far ahead, so they know that female members will continue to occupy top leadership positions.
“After me, the next three presidents will all be women,” said Sprajcar.
Are you interested in learning more about how to serve your community through Rotary? Find out more about the Rotary Club of Harrisburg at hbgrotary.org and the Keystone Rotary Club at hbgkeystonerotary.org.
