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Rotary Club of Saipan celebrates 50 years of service
Rotary Club of Saipan members gather for a group photo during the Rotary Charter Night last Tuesday, March 16, at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Hibiscus Hall. (NEIL FAMA)
Members of the Rotary Club of Saipan gathered for the Rotary Charter Night last Tuesday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Hibiscus Hall to celebrate 50 years of service to the CNMI community.
The event was also a trip down memory lane for many members, with a slideshow of pictures throughout the club’s existence since its establishment in 1968.
In a written message from Rotary Club of Saipan president Thomas Thornburgh, who was unable to attend as he is off-island, he said: “It is with great pride that I write to you today in celebration of our 50th anniversary of the Saipan Rotary Club. …I am humbled to serve you as our president during this 50th year of the inception of the Saipan Rotary Club. As we celebrate this 50th anniversary, let’s reflect on all that we have done, are doing, and will do in the future to promote Saipan. Fifty years’ worth of accomplishments is worth celebrating!”
Thornburgh this is also a good time time for Rotarians to review the many different projects that they have done, and what they as a club can do for their home, Saipan, and how to improve those projects in the future. “I joined Rotary to learn…about serving others before yourself. This is our home, and I am a Rotarian, this is what we do,” he said.
The Rotary Club of Saipan was established through the efforts of Rotary Club of Guam president Jim Alger, past president Robert J. Barry, Bill Gibson, David M. Sablan, John Trace, and Jim Hawkins.
Rotary International chartered the Rotary Club of Saipan on Feb. 16, 1968 with Sablan as its first president. Its membership consists of business, professional, and government people. The club meets every Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Giovanni’s Restaurant. It supports its “Service Above Self” motto by holding several community projects every year, including the Parade of Books and Dictionary Project.
To support these projects, the Rotary Club of Saipan holds a number of fundraising activities, notably the Las Vegas Night.
