SALISBURY — After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, the Rotary Club of Salisbury will celebrate its centennial anniversary on Saturday, May 14, 6 p.m., at the Country Club of Salisbury.

“We are excited to finally celebrate the Rotary Club of Salisbury’s 100th birthday, even though it’s two years late,” Steve Fisher, centennial committee chair, said in a news release.

The Rotary Club of Salisbury was officially chartered and installed at a ceremony on the roof of the Wallace Building (now The Plaza Building) on May 15, 1920. The club’s 100th anniversary celebration was originally scheduled for May 2, 2020.

Ted Goins (Lutheran Services Carolinas) is the current President of the Rotary Club of Salisbury for 2021-22. Elaine Spalding (Rowan Chamber) served as President during 2020-21. Steve Fisher (F&M Bank) served as president during the Club’s 100th anniversary year (2019-20).

Pete Teague (Livingstone College) will serve as Rotary president in 2022-23 and Cindy Fink (Meals on Wheels) as president-elect. Other members of the Club’s Executive Committee are: Secretary Donnie Clement III (Salisbury Motor) and Treasurer Bill Lee (Rowan Helping Ministries).

The Salisbury Rotary Club Scholarship Trust Fund (501) (3) has awarded $527,300 in scholarships since 1988 to 414 students graduating from Rowan-Salisbury Schools to attend our local higher education institutions: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Catawba College and Livingstone College.

The Salisbury Club is part of Rotary District 7680. Rotary District 7680 spans 14 counties in North Carolina. Rotary International connects 1.2 million members with 35,000 Rotary Clubs in 200 countries and lead the worldwide fight to end polio.

Since the 1980s, Rotary has led the worldwide effort to eradicate polio. Over 400 million children are still vaccinated each year. Rotarians are proud the extensive polio infrastructure of laboratories, polio workers and an extensive surveillance network is being used to slow the spread of COVID-19, in addition to serving countless other health needs.

In addition to the massive good being done by Rotarians all over the world, the top-rated Rotary Foundation donated over $85 million in larger global grants in 2018, for preventing disease, providing clean water, supporting education, growing local economies, saving mothers and children and promoting peace and conflict resolution.

Locally, Rotarians in the 14-county district donated more than $1 million and over 15,000 volunteer hours in the most recent year. Rotarians are truly volunteer leaders both locally and globally.

The Centennial Celebration on May 14 is open to Rotarians and guests by invitation only. For more information on the Rotary Club of Salisbury, contact Elaine Spalding at 704-633-4221 or espalding@rowanchamber.com