Raytown Rotary

07/14/2026

Our Raytown Rotary Club was recently overjoyed to see member Shirley Wurth receive the Avenues of Service Award for her outstanding service to our Rotary Club, our Rotary District, and our community! If you know Shirley, you know she is a go-getter with a strong history of doing great things in every area of her life! Congratulations, Shirley!

We were also very fortunate to get to better know a newer member, Shana Kelly, City of Raytown Economic Development Administrator. We learned how she got into her career and what helped shape her into the amazing person she is today! Our members love getting to know other members better! These are some of our best programs!

07/03/2026

06/30/2026

July 1 is a new Rotary year

06/30/2026

In the absence of a meeting on the fifth Tuesday of this month, we exemplified service above self by volunteering our time to assist with packing grocery bags at the Raytown summer lunch program.

06/25/2026

This week, we heard of a fun and rewarding mission with Shelby Coxon from Always & Furever Animal Sanctuary. Their story is very heartwarming, especially if you love animals!

Our club was also able to see Raytown Rotarian Crystal Martinez recognized by receiving a Paul Harris Fellow. Being recognized with a Paul Harris Fellow is one of the highest honors in Rotary and signifies a deep commitment to global humanitarian efforts and community service. Congratulations, Crystal! Tom Gibbens, our Rotary Foundation Chair, presented this award to Crystal.

06/24/2026

The Rotary Pin is so much more than just an accessory:

It represents membership in the Rotary International organization, which is a global network of leaders committed to service, peace and improving their communities.
It symbolizes the values of fellowship, service, integrity, diversity and leadership.

The classic design is a gear wheel, which represents movement, action and work together, with a flap in the center symbolizing the solidity and usefulness of the gear (without it, the wheel would spin on empty).

Importance

1. Rotary Identity: By holding the pin, the person is recognized as a Rotarian anywhere in the world.

2. Pride and Commitment: It's a reminder of personal commitment to the ideal of "Give of yourself before thinking of yourself."

3. International connection: Serves as a “universal credential” within the Rotary community, generating trust and openness among partners from different countries.

4. Inspiration for Service: Motivate to honor Rotary's motto in every daily action, not just meetings.

In fact, many Rotarians say the pin should not “stay in the jacket,” but be a living symbol of service in any area of life.

More than an ornament, the Rotary pin symbolizes our commitment to service and friendship. The gear represents action and movement, reminding us that together we can spin the world towards a better future.

Wearing it, we proudly display our Rotary identity and our motto:

“Give of yourself before you think of yourself. ”

06/23/2026

More photos of our wonderful "picnic" at the home of our gracious hosts, Dave and Shirley Wurth. Due to weather, we changed our plans with our guests, Rotary Friendship Exchange friends from Argentina and their host families. We had to miss out on 70s/80s music in the greenspace area in downtown Raytown, but we did have lots of great conversation and fellowship and loads of good food. We also shared Missouri Rotary pins (designed by one of our members, Donna Gibbens) with all of our guests!