Board Members
Trent Lovett – President
Cindy Riley – Secretary
Wes Smith – Treasurer
Travis Thompson – President Elect
History
The Spring of 1947 was a wonderful time in Marshall County. With WWII in the past and the new Kentucky Dam having opened, people were just beginning to realize the scope of the potential economic growth heading our way. While the county was still dealing with the loss of land and homes to the new lake, it was already being acknowledged as a wonderful recreation and fishing mecca.
With all this in mind, on April 1 of that year, business and professional leaders chartered the Rotary Club of Marshall County, dedicated to the Object of Rotary, which includes giving back to the community in the form of service, recognizing the worthiness of all occupations, and living by the high personal and business ethics of Rotary International.
Today, the Rotary Club of Marshall County continues to stand as a beacon for business, professional and community leaders to voluntarily serve the needs of the county.
In 1991, the first annual WCBL-FM radio auction was held and the proceeds were used to complete the endowment of a permanent college scholarship at Murray State University and to start a new Youth Services Fund dedicated to the needs of the younger generation in Marshall County.
This fund is now an IRS qualified 501c(3) charitable organization and over the years has seen more than $500,000 flow through its account in the form of college scholarships, school clothes for those less fortunate, Christmas presents for children in need, funding for both the Marshall County Children’s Arts Center and children’s sections of the libraries, and outfitting the local ambulances and hospital emergency rooms with specialized children’s medical equipment. The list of beneficiaries could go on for pages.
In 2018, the community turned to the club to ask if monies raised in the names of Marshall Strong and the victims of the tragic high school shooting could flow through the Youth Services Fund. The club was honored and humbled to be asked. A special trustee committee was formed of Rotarians and non-Rotarians to disperse these dedicated funds and report back to the community at large.
The annual radio auction is still held each March thanks to the special donation of air time from WCBL-FM radio. The work of the regular Youth Services Fund goes on, in addition to the Marshall Strong funding.
It will be exciting to see what the next years will bring for the club.