Club President Message

Michael Desplaines

member photo

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Norfolk – a vibrant group of community leaders who enjoy being part of southeastern Virginia’s oldest and largest service club.

Our nearly 120 members come from throughout Hampton Roads and share a passion for community service and fellowship. We value always learning something new, having fun and working together to make our community and world better. If I can help connect you to Rotary International and our club please our membership chair,  Brian McGuire. 

Club Meeting Information
Leaders Making a Difference at Home & Abroad
Norfolk

We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Norfolk Yacht Club
7001 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23505
United States of America
Phone:
(757) 622-7971
Email:
rotaryclubofnorfolk@gmail.com
We meet at Norfolk Yacht Club, 7001 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, the first three Tuesdays of each month beginning at noon. Our meeting is from 12:30-1:30pm. See Calendar for details.
District Site
Venue Map
 
In the News

Keeping Norfolk Beautiful
 
It was a beautiful day, blue skies and temperatures that were neither too cold nor too hot, when a group of Norfolk Rotarians gathered to collect discarded items from the area near Princess Anne and Monticello. They picked up ten bags of trash which included a can of antifreeze, a pair of pants, lumber, tires and the normal assortment of beer and liquor bottles and fast food wrappers. Pictured above are Tom Ambler, Walt Sobczyk, Joe and Barb New and Daniel Kirkley. Sigur Whitaker also pitched in.
 
 

11 Nonprofits Win Grants
The Rotary Club of Norfolk recently awarded $29,000 in grants to 11 Hampton Roads nonprofits. Representatives of the nonprofits were honored at the club's April 5 luncheon meeting. Grant recipients and the grant purposes are:
  • Ability Center of Virginia for a music glove and laughter yoga supplies to help adults living with disabilities.
  • Berkley Timberwolves Youth Athletics for basketball, cheerleading and football equipment for youth living in the Berkley neighborhood.
  • Community Outreach Coalition for supplies to teach youth from disadvantaged backgrounds about potential art careers.
  • Families of Autistic Children of Tidewater for programs that benefit children and young adults living with autism.
  • FEAST Virginia for supplies for its program that helps struggling families learn to eat healthier and improve their lives.
  • Neighborhood for programs that help South Norfolk residents learn new skills and break the cycle of poverty.
  • Norfolk SPCA for microscopes for staff at its low-cost community veterinary clinic.
  • St. Mary’s Home for Power Wheels cars for children living with disabilities to use during recreation and therapy sessions.
  • Survivor Ventures for programs that help survivors of human trafficking gain education and new careers.
  • Virginia State Company for the Dramatically Able theater workshops for visually impaired or blind youth.
  • Virginia Supportive Housing to furnish two Norfolk apartments for individuals who previously experienced homelessness.

Suds & Buds Is May 19
 
Mark your calendars! After a two-year absence due to Covid 19, Suds & Buds is returning to Norfolk Botanical Garden on May 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This fun, relaxed garden party will feature craft brews, wine, a variety of food trucks, and of course, the roses will be in full bloom just a few feet from the party. Details and tickets are at sudsandbuds.org.
 
This year's Suds & Buds will benefit PrimePlus Senior Centers, Norfolk Botanical Gardens, and Norfolk Rotary Charities which provides funding for the Rotary Club of Norfolk's outreach to our community.
 
How can you help? We need sponsors and, of course, invite your friends and neighbors.

Service Above Self at the Foodbank
 
It was a busy day at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. LauraBeth (far right) joined folks from Virginia Natural Gas packaging oranges for distribution while Walt, Sigur and Joe spent the morning sorting food donations for distribution. 
Rotary Supports Ukraine Relief 

 
 
 
Do you want to contribute to support the relief efforts in Ukraine? Consider donating through The Rotary Foundation. Rotarians are supporting the effort not only monetarily but also through "Service Above Self." Clubs in neighboring countries including Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania are pitching in with food, water, medical supplies and shelter. 
 
Rotary has made it easy to give to this effort. Simply go to Rotary.org to not only read about the relief efforts but also to contribute. You can contribute online by scrolling down to the end of the article where you will find a link to donate.
 
If you want to contribute from your IRA as part of the Minimum Required Distribution, contact the IRA provider and tell them that you wish to contribute funds from the IRA with the amount to The Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693 and that the funds should are for Disaster Relief (Ukraine). All funds donated through the end of April will go for Ukrainian relief efforts.
Upcoming Events
Suds & Buds Sponsorship
 
Thank you for considering a sponsorship of Suds & Buds. The profits from this year's Suds & Buds will be split between PrimePlus Senior Centers, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and Norfolk Rotary Charities, the charitable arm of the Rotary Club of Norfolk which reinvests in our community. Click here for information about being a sponsor.
View Our Last Meeting
Did you miss the last meeting? You can see it on our YouTube channel. 
 

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