For half a century, the Mad River Valley Rotary Club has built a record of service and giving that reaches into nearly every corner of The Valley. Scholarships for local students. Grants to nonprofits. Support for families, seniors, education and food security. Beyond grants, Rotarians have also become synonymous with service in The Mad River Valley.
On June 17, members gathered in the recently renovated barn at Knoll Farm to celebrate that legacy, and the Mad River Valley Rotary Club’s 50th annual Changeover Dinner, marking the transition from outgoing President Susan Klein to incoming President Mike Leichliter.
The evening celebrated the past and the future.
For Leichliter, who takes over after a year of membership growth and expanded giving under Klein’s leadership, the moment was also an opportunity to outline a vision for the club’s future.
That vision, he said, comes down to three words:
“Valley. Vermont. World.”
Those words, Leichliter told members, reflect where Rotary serves and how local efforts connect to something much larger.
“The Mad River Valley Rotary Club has always understood that service begins locally but doesn’t end there,” Leichliter said. “Our responsibility is to The Valley we call home, the state we serve alongside fellow Rotarians, and the world we impact through Rotary International.”
BUILDING MOMENTUM
The Mad River Valley club was chartered in May 1976 as part of Rotary International.
Like many service organizations of the era, Rotary membership was initially limited to men. The club welcomed its first female member, Lixi Fortna, Warren, in 1988 after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision opened Rotary membership to women nationwide. Fortna was a member of the Warren Select Board and also served in the Vermont Legislature.
Today, the club has 68 members, including 26 women, and continues to grow even as many civic organizations nationally have struggled to maintain membership.
Under Klein’s leadership, the club added 13 new members and built momentum around both fundraising and service.
The club awarded approximately $70,000 in grants to Valley nonprofit organizations during the past fiscal year and distributed another $30,000 in scholarships to local students.
Over 50 years, former treasurer Dave Ellison estimates the organization has returned approximately $2 million to The Valley through grants, scholarships and charitable giving.
Funding decisions are guided by Rotary’s established Pillars of Giving: seniors, food insecurity, children and families, health and education.
Leichliter credited Klein’s leadership with helping position the club for continued growth.
“Susan has shown us what is possible with membership growth,” he said. “Growth is not about numbers for the sake of numbers. Growth means more hands to help, more ideas to consider and more opportunities to serve.”
INVESTING FORWARD
Leichliter, an educator whose professional life has centered on public education for 35 years, said expanding educational opportunities will be one of his top priorities. He noted that conversations over the last several months have already generated roughly $70,000 in new scholarship commitments. His goal is to continue building both the club’s General Scholarship Fund and opportunities for donors to establish named scholarships.
“Education changes lives, and few investments produce a greater return than helping a young person pursue their dreams,” Leichliter said.
He tied that effort to broader challenges facing Vermont, including declining student populations, an aging demographic and concerns about retaining young people.
“While we may not be able to solve all of those challenges, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of the young people who grow up here — one student at a time,” he said.
Leichliter said scholarship support sends a message beyond financial assistance.
“Every scholarship we award tells a young person, ‘We believe in you,’” he said. “It tells them that this community sees their potential and is willing to invest in their future.”
His second major priority is strengthening the club’s engagement with Rotary’s district and international work through The Rotary Foundation.
Leichliter noted that local giving and global impact are more closely connected than many people realize, with Rotary contributions supporting worldwide initiatives while also generating future district resources that can return to Vermont communities.
As the club enters its second half-century of service, members remain committed to Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” while continuing to support the people and organizations that make the Mad River Valley what it is.
