About Lawrence Central Rotary
Have a program suggestion? – Lawrence Central Rotary Email
Membership information – Reese Jones
Current Club President – Shelly McColm
Club Officers 2025-2026
President – Shelly McColm President-Elect – Daniel Palen
Vice President – Judy Riling Secretary – Cindy Riling
Treasurer – Lori Trenholm Past President – Megan Richardson
Program Coordinator – Scott Wagner Membership Chair – Reese Jones
“Getting things done and having fun” describes the Rotary Club of Central Lawrence. Lawrence Central Rotary was formed and chartered in the spring of 2003. Ed and Jerry Samp are brothers who brought their vision of a new Rotary group located in historic downtown Lawrence to fruition. Our membership is small, right at 40 members, but growing.
To read an article in the Journal-World back from February of 2003 when Ed Samp announced the forming of the new club click HERE. Our club is located in District #5710 and our club is #61504.
What is Rotary?
Rotary was born in 1905, the idea of attorney Paul Harris, who along with four of his business friends founded the first Rotary Club. Harris’ idea was that business leaders should meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie, and to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. The name “Rotary” derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among member’s offices. As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of Club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organization’s dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its principal motto: “Service Above Self.”
The Four-Way Test
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.
This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the Truth?
2. Is it Fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
4. Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, has been selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. Arezzo will become president on 1 July.
One of the most important things we can do to tell our Rotary stories in an effective, compelling way is to make sure we all use consistent and unified messaging. You can use the president’s message for 2025-26, Unite for Good, to inspire members, participants, and the public with an idea that aligns with our Action Plan and calls on us to work together. Using the presidential message in your club and district communications helps to convey Rotary’s global impact and create stronger recognition of Rotary’s name in our communities and with potential service partners. It can help people understand who we are and what we do and might even inspire them to join us.
You can watch the speech about this year’s theme in the video below.
