Wellsboro Rotary

01/23/2026

Introduced by President Peg Frock, our speaker this week was our very own Christina VanDergrift. Christina has turned a hobby into a new venture and has opened Rustic Roots Honey Farm. Inspired by her son's brief stint as a beekeeper and because she enjoyed making mead, an alcoholic fermented beverage made from honey, she decided to start her own hives. Chris started with four hives and has grown that to ten hives now. In the beginning, she ran into a lot of problems from bears to beetles, but is learning a lot as she goes. One thing we found out is that honey bees are not native to the United States. Honey bees are all imported, and Chris’s bees are from Italy and Russia. She brought three different honeys for us to sample. The first was Woodland Meadow. This honey was collected in the spring, and the flavor was light and sweet, coming from the nectar and pollen collected by the bees from the spring flowers and trees. The second sample was Summer Solstice and came primarily from clover. The last was called Fall Flower, and its flavor was derived mostly from goldenrod. All three were delicious! Chris explained that beekeeping is a lot of work but is super rewarding, and after a hard day's work is both calming and relaxing. She also shared that just like ourselves, honeybees are the perfect example of our Rotary motto, “Service Above Self”. If you would like to try her honey, it is available for sale at her sister's shop, The Happy Rave,n located at 11 Pearl Street in Wellsboro.

This week, we inducted new member Duffy Moran into the club.
Welcome to the Wellsboro Rotary family, Duffy!

01/12/2026

It is Rotary Essay Contest time! Wellsboro Juniors and Seniors have until February 6th to submit their essays to the club for consideration. See all the details below.

01/09/2026

Introduced by President Peg Frock, our speaker this week was District 7410 Governor Nominee Rob Oldroyd from Troy. Rob filled us in on some of the district-level happenings, specifically focusing on membership. It is always a pleasure to have Rob update us and provide insights into the future of Rotary, both locally and globally. Thank you, Rob!

12/11/2025

Introduced by Rotarian Jim Tutak, our speaker today at Wellsboro Rotary was District Magistrate Rob Repard. Judge Repard was born and raised in Liberty, Tioga County, PA. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mansfield University, majoring In Criminal Justice Administration. Beginning his senior year, he became a Probation Officer with the Tioga County Probation Department, where he spent 26 years, retiring as a supervisor in February of 2011 to pursue the office of Magisterial District Judge. He took office in January of 2012. During his career as a Probation Officer, he had both local and state involvement in developing and implementing court facility security measures and officer safety policies. He is a two-term gubernatorially appointed Commissioner to the County Probation and Parole Officers Firearm Education and Training Commission. In 1989, he was named “Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer” of the year by the Mansfield Area Jaycees, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. He received the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission Award for outstanding service to the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice System in 1994. Judge Repard is a past Range Master/Firearms Instructor for the Firearm Education and Training Commission and Harrisburg Area Community College. He currently instructs Defensive Tactics and Court Facility Security for the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriffs Education and Training Program at Penn State University’s Justice and Safety Institute. He holds multiple certifications. He is a member of the Special Court Judges’ Association of Pennsylvania, where he served as past Chair of the Constable Relations Committee. He was appointed as a Board Member to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in September 2018. He is active in his community, and he has sat and currently sits on several community boards. He enjoys spending time with his family, vacationing at the beach, hunting, and golfing.

12/05/2025

Wellsboro Rotary was proud to be represented by Rotarians Craig Devenport and Jim Paxson, who met with KC101 on Thursday to spread the word about all that Rotary does — both here in our local community and around the world.

Thank you, Craig and Jim, for sharing Rotary’s mission of service above self and helping raise awareness of the impact we make together!

The Wellsboro Rotary is joining us on the Morning Show to talk all things Rotary! Tune in to hear just how much the Wellsboro Rotary contributes to our area and our local charities, PLUS world-wide projects! If you are interested in joining the Wellsboro Rotary, stop by one of their meetings on Thursdays at noon at Timeless Destination! If you are interested in learning more about their Student Exchange Application, email Craig at [email protected]!

11/28/2025

Dear Friends of Wellsboro Rotary Club -

Are you, your business, or organization looking for a way to help make a difference locally this holiday season?

The Wellsboro Rotary Club has a win-win proposition for you...We hope you'll participate in our 2025 Christmas Greeting Program!

As we have done for many years, the Wellsboro Rotary Club is sponsoring our annual Christmas Greeting Program. This program offers individuals, businesses, & organizations an opportunity to extend holiday greetings locally without the time, effort, & expense of mailing cards.

The program accepts donations of $20.00 (or more) from donors whose names will appear on our full page Christmas greeting in the Wellsboro Gazette the week of Christmas. Businesses & organizations may donate $50.00 (or more) to have their business cards included on this page of holiday greetings.

By participating, you will impact local lives with your donation to our designated charities, Wellsboro Food Pantry and Tioga County Homeless Initiative. All donations collected will go to these charities. We have raised over $50,000 through our Christmas Program.

Please join us in supporting the charities chosen. Send in your completed participation form so we may add you to our list of participants or save space for your business card. You may mail your form & donation to Susan Graver, 2 Purple Street, Wellsboro, PA, 16901. Make checks payable to the Wellsboro Rotary Club.

Your donation must be received by Tuesday, December 16th to be included. Thanks for your consideration of this very worthwhile effort!

11/21/2025

Wellsboro Women's Chorus is honored to sing as part of this meaningful service on Sunday evening. Join us in celebrating the power of gratitude together.