The Rotary Club of Gastonia

10/16/2026

We had a great time at our social last night, and an incredible turnout of Rotarians and our families! Special thank you to the Dills family for incredible hospitality!

10/10/2026

Every gift makes a difference, and every Rotary club that gives is helping move Alzheimer's research forward.

Thank you to The Rotary Club of Gastonia in RotaryD7680 for choosing to and invest in hope, discovery, and a future without Alzheimer's.

Together, we're making an impact—one donation at a time. You can make a secure donation online at www.mycartfund.org.

10/07/2026

THE Rotary Club of Gastonia was well represented at the United Way of Gaston County‘s annual Day of Caring!

09/20/2026

Our club had such a fun time organizing and instructing participants in RotaryD7680‘s inaugural Leadership in Action training series focusing on building leadership skills outside of the traditional Rotary scope. Thank you to our members Marcia Scheideman, Donyel Barber, Sharon Padgett, and Pam Overcash for representing our club well!!!

09/16/2026

We are so proud of our club member, the incomparable and fantastic Ali Pizza on her well-deserved honor! Congrats to her and the entire team at the Gaston County Museum of Art & History for their continued success!! ❤️❤️

🏆 We have some BIG news to share!

The Gaston County Museum is celebrating not one, but THREE 2026 Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Awards! And we couldn’t be more proud of the people behind them.

Congratulations to our Executive Director, Alexandrea “Ali” Pizza, recipient of the 2026 Museum Leadership Award! ✨

This award recognizes mid-career museum professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership within their institutions, the museum profession, and the Southeast, and Ali is certainly making her mark.

Since joining the Museum, Ali has championed courageous, collaborative leadership and a community-centered approach to museum work. She has worked tirelessly to build a stronger team, deepen our connections throughout Gaston County, and make the Museum a place where people feel a sense of belonging and see their stories reflected in the work we do. What truly sets Ali apart from so many is her heart. ❤️

Ali’s leadership has helped us navigate challenges, embrace new opportunities, and keep moving forward with optimism, creativity, and a whole lot of heart. We are incredibly lucky to have her leading this team!

🎬 And there’s more!

The Museum also took home GOLD in SEMC’s Media Production – Under $1,000 category for "Making the Exhibit: The Old-Fashioned Way", our behind-the-scenes video showcasing the making of the Tony’s Ice Cream exhibit.

A huge congratulations to everyone on our team that was involved in bringing that video to life! It’s a wonderful example of how we can use creativity and technology to pull back the curtain and invite our community into the work of the Museum.

And we're not stopping there!

The Museum also received a Bronze Award in Virtual Media for the Highland Neighborhood Public Art Website Project, a collaborative project with Gastonia’s Highland neighborhood, Kintegra Health, The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, and the Highland School of Technology.

We’re especially excited to see this project recognized because it represents what can happen when museums work beyond their own walls and partner with the community to preserve, document, and share local stories and creativity.

Three awards. One incredible team. And a whole lot to celebrate! 🎉

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from THE Rotary Club of Gastonia!

Today, we recognize and celebrate the hardworking men and women who help make our communities stronger every day.

Labor Day is a reminder of the dignity of work, the value of service, and the incredible impact we can make when we come together to support one another.

From all of us, we thank you to everyone who works, serves, and contributes to making our community a better place.

Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸

09/06/2026

The last two weeks we got to celebrate and learn about two amazing Gaston County nonprofits! Amy Spencer updated us on the important work of the Gaston County Educational Foundation does to support our Gaston County Schools. Stephanie Newman taught us the lessons learned from rebuilding the Gaston Arts Council into a vital community organization that is working across our county to support art and develop our community.

We also had the privilege of awarding our Secretary Patrick Larkin with a Paul Harris Fellowship to thank him for his tireless service to our club!

08/26/2026

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08/23/2026

Our club had such a fun Thursday this week! We celebrated some of our members milestone birthdays, we awarded a longtime pillar of our community, Beth Patton, with a well-deserved Paul Harris Fellow, and we had an amazing interactive presentation from Annie Crites from Gastonia Architecture and History Appreciation Society!

08/18/2026

We had a great time last week hearing about the history of Route 66 from our own Patrick Larkin, followed by another fun Pop Up Social at Durty Bull!