Bellevue–Papillion Rotary Club Celebrates 50 th Anniversary

BELLEVUE, Nebraska – On Friday, June 20th, the Bellevue–Papillion Rotary Club celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the Bellevue Berry Farm with over 70 attendees from the club and community. Rotary International is a service organization that boasts over 1.4 million members globally with more than 46,000 chapters in 200 countries. The Bellevue–Papillion club was initially chartered in 1975.

Event attendees included staff representatives from Nebraska’s US Senators and House of Representatives, as well as State Senators John Arch and Rick Holdcroft, Sarpy County Board Chairman David Klug, Sarpy County Treasurer Jeff Mikesell, Sarpy County Administrator Bonnie Moore, Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike, Gretna Mayor Mike Evans, Papillion Fire Chief Robb Gotsch, Bellevue University President Mary Hawkins, Bellevue Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Robert Moore, representatives from many local charitable organizations, and more.

The celebration featured speeches, slideshows, and displays showcasing the many events and activities of the club over its 50 years of service and community contributions. A few highlights of these accomplishments included scholarships for high school graduates and students in attendance at Bellevue University, honoring exceptional teachers in local high schools, funding and volunteers for local organizations, construction of a new Gazebo at the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home, funding of benches outside the newly constructed Papillion Landing, funding of the first dashcams for the Bellevue Police Department cruisers, funding of programs reducing recidivism, funding to assist a women’s trafficking rescue shelter, funding to help 80 children who lost everything in Nebraska’s historic floods in 2019, and much more.

The event also included proclamations and letters of congratulations from many federal, state, and local officials and featured live entertainment from Nebraska Country Music Hall of Fame artist Jimmy Weber.

The club welcomes anyone interested in learning more about their organizations and efforts in the community to join them at their weekly lunch meetings every Monday at 12:00pm at DJ’s Dugout, 10308 South 23rd Street, in Bellevue.