Rotarians are People of Action!
The Northern Columbia County Rotary Club supports and works with partners throughout Columbia County and beyond.
Our annual apple sale supports scholarships, youth leadership camp and local food pantries among other projects. We have cleaned up the geological park on Chatham Central School District grounds, helped at various fairs and held collection drives for socks and winter accessories.
Rotary’s youth leadership camp, commonly referred to as RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) is a multi-day experience for high school sophomores, paid for in full by the sponsoring club. To learn more about this life-changing program, click HERE.
We have provided dictionaries to third graders at the Mary E. Dardess School in Chatham, and given books to children and adults throughout the county who might not otherwise own any. We have donated clothing to shelter residents and prom gown collections. Most months we have one or more projects going on. Members are welcome to be involved in as many or as few as fit with their lives.
Some of the people and causes we support include:
- Students, local schools and literacy programs
- Local youth programs
- Veterans
- Homeless
- Food pantries and meal providers
- Addiction recovery
- County EMS services
What’s in a name?
Unlike sales territories, Rotary clubs do not have hard boundaries. People are free to join any Rotary group that works with their residence, work, or relationships. While the area we most often cover includes the Chathams, New Lebanon, and Ghent, we have members from Philmont, Craryville, and Massachusetts. The schools we typically work with are in the Chatham, New Lebanon and Taconic Hills Districts. There are currently two other active Rotary clubs in Columbia County, New York. There is a Hudson Club and a Kinderhook/Tri-Village Club.
Why join Northern Columbia County Rotary?
Becoming a member enables you to make an impact both here and around the world. We invite you to visit our club to find our more about us and how to get involved. We are happy to partner with other Rotary Clubs and organizations outside of Rotary on projects that will have a positive impact on our communities.
Are you aware of a need in the community that you think Rotary can help with? Come to a meeting. Are you part of an organization that would like the support of a partnership with Rotary?
Come to a meeting. We’re eager to hear about opportunities to support our community.
If you’re thinking about joining but aren’t ready to commit just yet, you can use the contact form to sign up for our mailing list.
Are you new to the area?
If you’re new to the area, you might be looking for a way to meet people, give back to the community or get to know who’s who in the area, may we suggest the Northern Columbia County Rotary Club? We welcome part-timers and those who are in transition from living elsewhere to living full-time in Columbia County. We are big enough to be impactful, but small enough to be personal. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet a group of like-minded people who care about the community and the world around us?
Our Meetings
Our club meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6pm to share dinner, information, and camaraderie. The meetings on the fourth Thursdays are at the White Stone Cafe in Ghent and include their buffet dinner. These are our more formal meetings, but not so formal that we don’t laugh and get to know one another. The meetings on the second Thursday are at Hilltop Orchards and are somewhat less formal with a potluck format. It has been said, “come for the food. you’ll stay for the friendships.” We often share a joke or two while we’re there.
Ideas for service projects are welcome from anyone at the table and we discuss all important decisions with the general membership. Well-behaved children are welcome at our meetings. We always have activities available for them, most of which result in small gifts that can later be given to people in our communities who feel forgotten or alone.
Our members may come from different parts of the political spectrum, but we never discuss politics, so it has never become an issue.
Membership Types and Dues
Like all civic clubs, membership does involve payment of dues. We have several types of memberships to make it easier for people to be involved. Dues for a standard membership are $150 a year divided into two installments of $75, payable January 1st and July 1st.
Families, businesses and not-for-profit organizations can join as a group. They pay the full dues for one person and one person has the right to vote and hold office, but other members of the family, company or organization can attend meetings and participate in events.
We have a slightly discounted membership available for persons over the age of 75, and in certain circumstances, as approved by the Board, there can be an honorary membership.
The only additional cost is the price of food. At this time, that would be $20 to cover dinner at the Whitestone once a month. Children pay half price.
Our Partners
We have been expanding our impact by partnering with other clubs, both within and outside of Rotary. These are some of the organizations we’ve partnered with:
- Hudson Rotary
- Kinderhook/Tri-Village Rotary
- Cairo-Durham Rotary
- Greenville Rotary
- Chatham Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary
- Kiwanis Club of Columbia County
- Columbia County Pathways to Recovery
- Columbia Kitchen
Please use the form on the contact page if you would like to be added to our email list. On average, there is one email per week.
Donate to Support our Work
Using the link below to donate is NOT for the EMS Project, but will support our other projects, which include monthly donations to the New Lebanon, Chatham and Ghent food pantries, Service Above Self scholarships for graduating seniors, sending sophomores to leadership camp, literacy programs and more.
Donations can be made in honor or in memory of someone.
