Elyria Rotary

05/24/2026

The Elyria Rotary Club is proud to announce the total list of winners of this year’s annual college scholarship(s).

The Elyria Club, founded in 1918, has provided scholarships to local graduating seniors for over 20 years. The schools supported by the Elyria Rotary Club are Elyria High School, Elyria Catholic High School, Midview, OpenDoor Christian School, and Church of the Open-Door School.

Each year, at least one $24,000 scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated community service and engagement during their high school years. This
year, the Club gave out over $44,000.

This year’s scholarship winners were:
The top award of $ 24,000 went to Leah DiFranco, a graduate of Midview High School.
Leah will attend the University of Kentucky and pursue a business track. Leah demonstrated a strong sense of community service combined with athletics and high
academic achievement.

Several one-time awards were distributed by the Club this year; those included:
Zoey Pol, a graduate of Elyria High School, received a one-time award of $ 5,000. Zoey will be continuing her studies at the University of Akron, with a focus on a fire science
career.

Elyria High graduate, Kyrah Boddy, will receive a one-time award of $ 2,500 as she continues her education with a focus on Health Sciences studies at The Ohio State University.

Three Elyria Catholic graduates were awarded a total of $ 12,500. Anderson Rowe will receive $ 5,000 as she attends Marquette University in the fall, pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree. Edith Solet, the winner of the Club’s 4-Way Speech contest, was
awarded a $ 5,000 scholarship as she will attend The Ohio State University in the fall, studying Communications. Jessica Strauser was awarded $ 2,500 as she continues her studies at the University of Dayton in Biology.

05/12/2026

Elyria Rotary is saddened to hear of the passing of legend Bob Tayek, public address announcer for the Cleveland Guardians for three decades. Less than 3 months ago, he and his wife were our guests, as he recounted his lifetime of experiences as our guest speaker. We all sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” together and we will surely do so in his honor at our next meeting. Rest in Peace, Bob. Sympathy to all who loved him.

It is with great sadness we share the news that our longtime public address announcer, Bob Tayek, has passed away today.

For nearly three decades, Bob was the voice of Progressive Field, welcoming generations of fans to Cleveland baseball with warmth, professionalism and a presence that became part of the ballpark experience. Please keep Bob’s family, friends and all who worked alongside him in your thoughts during this difficult time.

05/06/2026

Thank you to City of Elyria, Ohio Waste Water Reclamation Facility for giving Elyria Rotary a comprehensive behind the scenes tour today. The statistics are mind-boggling! We are very fortunate to be served by professionals who are really on the cutting edge of improved technologies that improve our way of life and protect our precious natural environment. 🌱🐟🌳💧💦

04/23/2026

We were proud to welcome Midview High School senior Leah DiFranco as our guest this week! With an outstanding 4.43 GPA, Leah has made the most of her high school years through both academics and service.

She’s been actively involved in Student Council (serving as President), National Honor Society, and Key Club, along with many other community efforts. Leah is also a dedicated athlete, competing in basketball, cross country, and golf all four years—and currently helping lead the Girls’ Flag Football team to an impressive 6–0 record!

This fall, she’ll be attending the Honors College at the University of Kentucky to pursue a degree in business. Congratulations, Leah—we can’t wait to see all you accomplish next!
The Midview Schools

04/21/2026

Congratulations to our Paul Harris Fellow award recipients 🥳

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Each "+1" level denotes an additional upper level of giving.

The honor was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions that support our Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or to approved Foundation grants.

Thank you for your generosity, and for the amazing impact you make in our local community and globally!

04/17/2026

04/15/2026

Thank you, Brittany Ware and Jamie Simoneau with Community Foundation of Lorain County for being Tuesday's speakers. We were enlightened to hear about how many children ages 0-5 utilize the Imagination Library!

11,200+ Lorain County children currently registered
And
19,000+ children have graduated from LCIL

It only costs $31 per year for a child to receive 1 book a month from birth to 5 years old. Consider donating or register your child at the link below!

More information here: https://www.peoplewhocare.org/lcil

03/31/2026

Elyria Rotary Club engaged in a service project tonight by building beds with Good Knights of Lorain County in Elyria. Over 50 Rotarians, friends, family members, and co-workers showed up to lend a hand.