The Concordville-Chadds Ford Rotary celebrated its 60^th anniversary with a dinner at Penn Oaks Golf Club Tuesday evening. Local fellowship and service as well as international projects were in evidence throughout the occasion.

Rotary member Bill Pittock recounted the events in the wider world during the past 60 years. During that time there were assassinations, the Civil Rights Movement and wars including the Korean War.

In contrast to war, Rotary International — their motto being “Peace through Service” — promotes cultural and vocational exchanges among people of nations across the world with Guest Study Exchanges.

Present for the anniversary celebration was a GSE team of four people from Korea and their translators. Exchange participants go to corresponding organizations in the guest country to see how their jobs are done by their counterparts in the guest country. One participant who works in a park got to go to Longwood Gardens. Another participant will go to Delaware County Council.

The campaign to end polio worldwide has resulted in near eradication of the disease. A local Rotary effort to end polio began in the Philippines. Rotary chapters throughout the world adopted the campaign. The Gates Foundation found the effort worthy of a $100 million contribution. There are fewer cases of polio today that ever before recorded, and the hope for complete eradication is near.

Don McNeal, chapter president, accepted a citation from Deborah Love, vice-chair of the Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors. Colleen Morrone presented citation from the Delaware County Council. Surrounded by women, McNeal noted that the continuing success of the chapter is due to the inclusion of women into the one time all-male organization.

Assistant governor Dawn Defuria of District 7450 appreciated the vibrancy of the Concordville-Chadds Ford chapter. The chapter answered the governor’s challenge to add new members by increasing by seven in the first 100 days of the fiscal year.

Closer to home, Carol Swerdon took relief supplies to a senior center in Hoboken N.J. The board will be meeting next week to see what more they can to for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Past chapter President Donna Reeves says that what she especially likes about the chapter is that they work so well with the community. “We do a lot of hard work and enjoy fellowship with chapter members.”

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