The Adrian Noon Rotary Club is one of over 50 other clubs in District 6400. It is one of 38,000 other clubs world-wide! This year is especially significant in that Jennifer Joes from our District's Windsor-Roseland Club in Ontario, Canada is the first female president of Rotary International!

Our club  is a conduit for joining leaders, exchanging ideas and to taking action on important issues affecting our community, our nation, and our world. It is a premier service organization that also has a lot of fun! Whether we’re socializing or working together on important service projects – Rotarians always have a great time being with fellow members to volunteer!

We connect at bi weekly meetings and learn from business, political and civic leaders, and entrepreneurs, who help us stay informed on topics that are relevant to our community. 

Our club meets the first and third Thursdays at noon at The Centre' in Adrian on West US223. Come join us for fellowship, a great meal, and to hear community representatives share always great and timely information. This is a picture from our District-facilitated Visioning Session at the Adrian Armory & Events Center last summer. This year's District Governor is Linda Morrow.

The picture above was taken at the most recent Annual Joint Changeover Dinner on July 9, 2025. Show here are triple Rotarian of the Year award winners: (L to R) Assistant Governor and Noon Club Treasurer Rhonda Gage, Chip Moore, Londa Pickles, Michele Gardner, Immediate Past President Carrie Dillon. Club Secretary Chuck Chase took the photo. 

The board of directors meet the second Tuesday of every month at 5pm at the Comfort Inn in Adrian.

Respectfully;

Bob Gardner

Club President 2025-26

----------------------------------------------------

Brief History of Rotary International

 

Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. There are over 46,000 member clubs worldwide with a membership of 1.4 million individuals.

 

Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world.

 

That commitment endures today through an organization that remains truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Our members now span the globe, working to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.

 

We’re not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. Rotary began its fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, polio remains endemic in only two countries — down from 125 in 1988.

Francesco Arezzo - 2025-26 Rotary International President

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.

The Board conducted a special session following the unexpected resignation of RI President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on 8 June. Guided by the RI code and policies, the Board selected the new president-elect from a pool of candidates who were considered by the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in August 2023.

The 2025-26 presidential message, announced at the 2025 Rotary International Assembly in February, will remain Unite for Good, which calls on Rotary members to be a force for unity in a world increasingly divided by politics, geography, and ideology. Through service projects, Rotary brings together people of every background — across races, religions, and professions — in a shared mission to do good in their communities.

Arezzo is an orthodontist in private practice. He is active internationally as a member of the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations. He is vice president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa and was the founder and head for seven years of the delegation for Ragusa of the National Trust for Italy. He is a Knight of Honor and Devotion in Obedience within the Sovereign Order of Malta.

A Rotary member for more than 30 years, Arezzo has served as vice chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee and as RI director, learning facilitator, and as district conference presidential representative.

Arezzo is a Major Donor and Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation. He is married to Anna Maria Criscione, an entrepreneur in the tourism field. They have two children.

 

History of the Rotary Bell:

 

In 1922, U.S. Rotarians organized an attendance contest. The challenge was that the losing clubs would join in giving the winning club a prize. The Rotary Club of New York City was declared the winner and to them was awarded as a prize a bell from a popular patrol boat which was placed on wood that came from “HMS Victory", Admiral Nelson's vessel at the battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

 

In the ensuing fierce battle 20 allied ships were lost, while the British lost none. The tactic exposed the leading ships in the British lines to intense fire from multiple ships as they approached the Franco-Spanish lines.

 

Since then, the bell used in Rotary meetings started to represent, as on the ships, order, discipline and the time to guide us through the weekly hour and a half meetings. The bell informs us with its sound the beginning of the Rotary meeting, other club rituals and of course the closure of the regular club meeting.

 

THE ADRIAN NOON ROTARY CLUB

 

Founded in 1921 and celebrating 100 years of service in April of 2021, the Adrian Noon Rotary Club is one of 51 other clubs in District 6400. We give individuals an opportunity to join leaders, exchange ideas and to take action on important issues affecting our community, our nation, and our world. The Adrian Noon Rotary Club, in recognition of it's 100th anniversary commemorated the occasion by purchasing and erecting a clock on the City's Comstock Park pictured below right! The clock was officially installed on July 20, 2021 and a dedication ceremony was held August 6, 2021 at Downtown Adrian’s First Friday in August! A Gala Dinner was held in September. Special Edition Anniversary Booklet shown at left.

 

The Rotary Club of Adrian was organized on March 24, 1921 at a banquet held at the Gussenbauer’s Tea Room located in the 100 block of South Main Street. Twenty-four men were the charter members forming the club and they were visiting Rotarians from Toledo, Jackson and Hillsdale. The original officers were Thomas C. Kennedy (President), Clarke E. Baldwin, A.V. Riddle, James H. Howell, and Earl G. Kuney. Soon after its founding, the club implemented a free medical clinic, bringing doctors from the U of M to diagnose children with disabilities throughout the county.

 

In 1961, ten Adrian Rotarians, under the leadership of Carl DeLamiter and Gene Olsen, organized the Adrian Rotary Foundation, a vehicle through which we could receive donations and subsequently make contributions to the community. 

 

In 1965 under the leadership of Charles Hickman our club led a crusade to save the Croswell Opera House from demolition by raising the needed money for renovation. In 1989 our club participated in a major international project by raising more than $100,000 for RI’s Polio Plus program! One of our own members, Dr. Bill Chase, has worked internationally to help those less fortunate at the clinic in Brazil named after him and supported by District 6400. He was the recipient of RI’s highest award – The Service Above Self Award for his contributions.

 

In 1996, our club celebrated its 75^th anniversary. Dave Maxwell was president and Adrian Noon Rotary Club member and Mayor, then late Sam Rye signed the official proclamation! The Adrian Rotary Club has had the distinct honor of having had 5 members serve as District Governor: Eugene Olsen Sr., John Dawson, Bill Chase, Bruce & Sue Goldsen!

 

2025-26 Club Brochure