[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 196 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STILLWATER, MINNESOTA ROTARY 
                                  CLUB

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 9, 2019

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the centennial 
anniversary of the Stillwater, Minnesota Rotary Club. Since its 
founding in 1919, Stillwater Rotary Club has actively advanced the 
mission of Rotary International by providing service to others, 
promoting integrity, and fostering world understanding, goodwill, and 
peace through fellowship of business, professional, and community 
leaders.
  Stillwater Rotary Club was begun just 14 years after Rotary 
International was founded by Chicago attorney Paul Harris in 1905. 
Community leaders in Stillwater shared a desire to serve their 
community in fellowship with one another, and so joined together to 
begin the Stillwater Rotary Club. At the time, most Rotary Clubs were 
located in larger cities, but following World War I, as smaller 
communities like Stillwater returned to normal, they sought to refocus 
to improve their communities. Stillwater's club charter was sponsored 
by the St. Paul and Minneapolis clubs, and was formally presented to 
the Stillwater club on September 26, 1919. Today the club has over 60 
members from diverse personal and professional backgrounds and are a 
part of the larger community of 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide.
  Throughout their 100 years, the Stillwater Rotary Club has become a 
prominent community organization as it has chartered new clubs in the 
area, supported numerous local and international charities, and 
completed many community service projects. From its earliest years, the 
club made great contributions to the community, demonstrating the 
Rotary motto of ``Service Above Self''. The Stillwater Club sponsored 
the creation of a bathhouse at Lily Lake Beach, a barge terminal in 
Stillwater, a tourist camp on the Saint Croix River, and a Scout cabin 
on Big Marine Lake. In 1927 their seven-year project of lighting Main 
Street in Stillwater came to fruition; a major accomplishment for the 
club. They also sponsored the founding of the Washington County 
Historical Society in 1934, a non-profit educational institution that 
remains active today with the mission to collect, preserve, and 
disseminate the vibrant history of Washington County and the greater 
State of Minnesota.
  Today, Kathleen Elbert leads the Stillwater Rotary Club and the 
organization continues to be a leader in service. Their annual Taste of 
the Valley event raises funds for non-profit organizations like the 
American Cancer Society and the Boy Scouts of America, as well as local 
groups including Stillwater Area High School and the St. Croix Valley 
Learning Center. The club also takes on international service endeavors 
through their sponsorship of a hospital in Tanzania, construction of 
roads in Guatemala, and support of Rotary International's efforts to 
eradicate polio worldwide among other initiatives.
  Rotarians worldwide utilize an ethical guide called the Four-Way Test 
which asks the following questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all 
concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be 
beneficial to all concerned? These questions are especially prescient 
today. Stillwater Rotarians have served their community for a century 
in agreement with these principles, setting an example for all of us to 
remember to be truthful, to be fair, to build goodwill and grow in our 
friendships, and to live our lives in service for others. Madam 
Speaker, please join me in recognizing the members of the Stillwater 
Rotary Club on its 100 years of serving the community.

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