Valentine’s Day was the perfect day for the Crossroads Rotary Club of San Bernardino and Loma Linda to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with nearly 100 members and guests showing their love for the club during a special luncheon.
Loma Linda University Health President Richard Hart, MD, the keynote speaker, emphasized the importance of healing the person, rather than disease symptoms, and underscored the need for strong community partnerships.
The club presented donations to the Loma Linda University Social Action Community Health System for medical equipment, to San Manuel Gateway College for student aid, and for student internships for the Growing Hope Program at San Andreas High School. Also recognized were students from Bradley Elementary School’s EarlyAct youth program, which promotes community service among children. Students from the Loma Linda Academy saxophone quartet provided entertainment.
Assemblymember Marc Steinorth praised the club for its long-standing service to the community, calling members “awesome” for their work with local community projects and international projects.
The club supports the Helping Hands Food Pantry and helped found the Inland Empire Children’s Book Project. Members also fund Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp experiences for 11th grade students and support Rotary International’s signature project, PolioPlus, which focuses on polio eradication. Since 1988, Rotary has partnered with organizations to dramatically reduce polio cases by more than 99.9 percent – from 350,000 cases in 1988 to just 37 cases in 2016.
Crossroads Rotary Club has partnered with other Rotary Clubs and organizations to secure more than $300,000 in grants for medical surgeries, dental clinics, orphanages, and clean water projects in emerging countries.
During the 50th Anniversary Celebration, two new members were inducted – Karen McCullough and Dr. Stacey Wiles, bringing the club membership to 50, a fitting number for this “golden” event. Founding member Mel Upp, age 90, recently relocated to Arizona, but attended the meeting via a Zoom videoconference. Joanie Stevens, the club’s first female president, also attended.
Crossroads Rotary meets Wednesdays at 12 noon at 250 S. G Street, San Bernardino. For information, visit crossroadsrotary.net or contact President Gary Kerstetter, 909-253-3154 or gary.kerstetter@yahoo.com.