• Winner: WINNER
  • Date: 1/27/2016
  • Rotary Year: 2015-2016
  • Award Category: Public Image
  • Club NameSmith Mountain Lake
  • Member First NameJohn E. Lietz
  • Address: 
    1310 Dudley Amos Rd
    Moneta, VA 24121
    United States View on Map
  • Email: jelietz@att.net
  • Brief Description: 
    The Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake (SML) is involved with many projects and supports many charitable organizations in the SML area. The Club has also applied for Global Grants and over the past three years has implemented educational and health related activity in Grahamstown, South Africa, and Sango Village in Moshe, Tanzania.
    - Dudley Elementary School Project. Provides 12, 4th and 5th gradestudents with six meals each weekend during the school year.
    - Hunger and Nutrition Effort. Started several years ago a fruit and vegetable garden at Booker T. Washington National Monument has been providing food alternatives for clients of Lake Christian Ministries.
    - Provides signs for owners of docks on SML enabling fire and rescue personnel to more easily find an address or home on the lake in the case of an emergency.
    - Provide Thanksgiving Baskets to local school families
    - Annually holds an Excellence in Education Dinner and awards program to recognize and support the teacher's of the year schools.
    - Provided $1500 scholarships to a high school student from Franklin County and Staunton River High Schools
    - Sponsored two high school students to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference at Virginia Tech.
    - Sponsored both outgoing to Brazil and incoming from Brazil exchange students.
    - Supported the Jim Cameron Memorial Walk (Lake Christian Ministries fund raiser) with both member donations and participation in the walk.
    - Support through volunteers working a shift, the SML Charity Home Tour.
    - Provide parking and support for the SML Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and BBQ.
    - Staffed and provided three Pontoon Boats to help with the annual Lake Cleanup Day.
    - Over the past 2-3 years financially donated to the following local charitable organizations: Lake Christian Ministries, Burnt Chimney VFD, Children's Advocacy Center of the Blue Ridge (CASA,) Free Clinic of Franklin County, Helping Hands of Franklin County, Virginia Dare Flotilla for Toys, SML Good Neighbors, Support to Eliminate Poverty (STEP), Polio Plus, Bower Center for the Arts, Challenger Little League, and several others.

    Funds to support the foundation activities of the Club come from three primary fund raisers: Nite at the Races, Christmas Tree Sales and Kroger Card program

  • Participation of Club Members: 
    Dudley Elementary School - 30%
    Hunger and Nutrition - 30% continue to volunteer at the Giving Garden at Booker T. Washington
    Financial Support to local charities - 100%
    Scholarships - 100%
    Thanksgiving Baskets - 80%
    Jim Cameron Memorial Walk for Lake Christian Ministries - 20%
    Lake Cleanup - 40%
    Exchange Students - 100%
    Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and BBQ - 40%
    SML Charity Home Tour - 40%
    Dock Signs - 50%
    Moneta Playground (40% labor only)
    Excellence in Education Dinner and Awards - 90%
    Christmas Tree Sales Fund Raiser - 95%
    Nite at the Races Fund Raiser - 100%
    Kroger Rebate Program - Currently 50% due to changes Kroger implemented but effort to get members to reapply is ongoing.
  • Resulting Benefits: 
    Many of our activities in addition to helping the local and international community enhance the public image and respect for the Rotary Club of SML. Every effort is made to wear appropriate Rotary attire such as Rotary hats, polo shirts, short and long sleeved shirts with either the Rotary logo or Rotary Club of SML. Club banners are often taken with them by members who travel and visit other clubs. Newspaper articles are usually sent in to the four area papers after each meeting highlighting a speaker, donation, upcoming event or member. The local radio station WSLK 880 is also utilized to publicize activities. Recent examples are the Christmas Tree sales and shortly the upcoming Peace Festival.

    Club efforts are geared toward the needs of our community surrounding Smith Mountain Lake. The area around the lake consists of predominately rural Appalachia and has high levels of poverty and the associated health care needs. In many of the schools, upwards of 80% of the children are on free or reduced lunch programs. Supplementing the schools with food for the weekends and over the summer is a very important part of the Club's outreach efforts. The Club does an very good job of helping organizations who provide for the less fortunate through financial donations and through club volunteers. Many members of our Rotary Club are also involved on the Boards of other local charities or otherwise engaged in activity benefiting the community.

  • Additional Material or Information #1: 
    Press article that appeared in all four local newspapers (Franklin News-Post, Smith Mountain Eagle, Roanoke Times Laker Weekly, Bedford Bulletin) highlighting the Club's largest fund raiser a "Nite at the Races." Each of over 200 guests received a color brochure and program that highlighted all of the Club's charitable and community activities. Sponsors and donors to the event were also recognized in the program. Over $11,000 was raised to help support the Club's Foundation activities both locally and globally.
  • 1st Supporting Document: 
    NATR 2015.pdf
  • Additional Materail or Information #2: 
    Over 40 articles have appeared in the local papers this Rotary year. Due to upload limitations only two are provided/ This article highlights the Club's recent 25th anniversary celebration in December 2015.

    The Club also maintains a Facebook page and a Club website. More articles and photos can be found.
    Facebook: search Rotary Club of SML
    website: smlrotary.com