By Dr. Roger Dixon

The Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club won the 1999-2000 Club of the Year Award for excellence in service to the local community, in the country, and also internationally. The award also represents achievements in new projects and innovations. The Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club is proud of this recognition and the chance to serve others. The first Rotary International Foundation project in the Bay Area was an entire schoolyard-playground construction project. This project was done at the Southwestern Family Center to benefit children's daycare. The project will allow at-risk kids to attend daycare while their family members pursue higher education goals. Rotarians funded, planned, and constructed the entire $25,000 project -- a large commitment to the community by the Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club. The Rotary Club is also involved in service to others far beyond the local community. For example, the Rotary Club sponsored projects in Colima, Mexico to build small houses for migrant workers. The Rotary Club sponsored needy children of Colima with food, clothing, and health and educational needs. In Honduras, the Rotary Club is hoping to rebuild communities devastated by hurricanes. The Coos Bay - North Bend Rotarians are also involved in humanitarian projects in Russia and other countries. These are ongoing projects that the Rotary Club will continued to participate in and support.

The Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club sponsored a team of Russian business leaders on an educational exchange. The club, along with others, hosted 12 Russian wood-products businessmen for a week. It was an educational program through the Center for Citizens Initiative and Rotary. This was an entirely new program for the club to participate in. It was very rewarding to exchange ideas and enjoy fellowship one-on-one with our Russian guests here in the Bay Area. Another new program was Rotary Friendship Exchange. The Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club hosted eight Argentinean Rotarians in their homes. The Argentineans were wonderful guests and enjoyed their stay in the Bay Area (see related story on President Bill Griles' trip to Argentina). In summary, the Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club won the Club of the Year Award in recognition of the great things that the members do in service to others. These Rotarians, your friends and neighbors, are community leaders committed to "service above self" and to making a difference both locally and around the world.