The Swannanoa Valley needs you to save its Rotary Club
Service organizations are a vital part of a healthy community
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 23, 2025
Among the many contributions of the Black Mountain Rotary Club is the splash fountain in Town Square. The organization is recruiting new members, April 29, at the Anderson Auditorium in Montreat. Photo by Fred McCormick
Taking things for granted is often one of the easiest things to do in our increasingly busy society. Who has time to notice every plaque, dedication or sign they walk by when there are dozens of unanswered emails on their phone or a flow of texts from family, friends and coworkers?
But, these markers can often be instructive when it comes to understanding the communities in which they are found, and occasionally they are capable of evoking poignant reflection.
Two such signs sit in the middle of downtown, where the Black Mountain Rotary Club dedicated a splash fountain in town square in 2014. Spotting these commemorative markers recently resonated with me for two very different reasons.
First, I vividly remember covering the opening of this 30-foot-by-30-foot pad and built-in fountains, as the surrounding town square neared completion, my first year reporting news in the Swannanoa Valley. If you weren’t here back then, the opening of the town’s centerpiece was a big deal, and I was moved by the generosity of our local Rotary International chapter, which raised $50,000 to build the splash pad that countless kids would go on to enjoy.
That was one of the first experiences that helped me begin to understand the major role service organizations play in making this community the place we all know and love.
Needless to say, I was struck by a great sense of concern when I received an email that read, in part, “the Black Mountain Rotary Club is in danger of dying.”
At first read, this seemed incomprehensible to me. The Black Mountain Rotary Club has been an unwavering supporter of so many worthwhile initiatives for nearly 70 years. I quickly contacted Andrew Mercurio and Ross Sloan, members of the Asheville Rotary Club, which is assisting in organizing a recruitment meeting for the Swannanoa Valley chapter at the Anderson Auditorium in Montreat, from 5:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 29.
The free event, hosted by the WNC Rotary District, will feature a message from longtime Black Mountain resident and Rotary Peace Fellow David LaMotte, while inviting local residents to learn more about how they can help make a “meaningful difference” in their community with the nonprofit organization.
While a handful of Rotarians continue to work diligently to maintain the Swannanoa Valley chapter, an aging membership group and steady decline in new recruits has left its viability in jeopardy.
“This club has been around since 1958, and it’s been such a meaningful part of the community that entire time,” said Sloan, a longtime member of the Asheville chapter. “Obviously, there is so much work to be done in the Swannanoa Valley after Helene, we want to make sure the Rotary Club is thriving there.”
It is important to note that the remaining members of the Black Mountain Rotary Club deserve our undying gratitude for the work they have done, but more importantly, they need our help to keep serving this community and others in need around the globe.
Just last year, longtime Rotarian John DeWitt traveled to Warsaw, Poland, where he partnered with members of the international organization to help children and teachers impacted by the war in Ukraine. DeWitt, and fellow members of the Black Mountain Rotary Club, received a $40,000 grant to help fund psychologists, supplies and teachers for schools in Kyiv, Ukraine and Warsaw, where children displaced by the conflict sought refuge.
The significance of DeWitt’s work in our local community, both as a member of the Rotary Club and with other volunteer organizations, can not be overstated. He is one of many local current or former Rotarians who embody the organization’s mission to “provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.”
I reflected on the impact of the Black Mountain Rotary Club while looking at the sign near the splash pad, and it occurred me to that the Swannanoa Valley is in need of a new generation of leaders to carry on this community’s legacy of giving.
Consider that many of us moved to this valley because we were charmed by the community that greeted us upon our arrival, but that vibrant local heritage and pride did not just happen. It is, instead, the result of generations of natives and newcomers giving their time, energy and support to make this place what it is today.
There are not many local civic groups that have been as consistent in their endeavors to improve the Swannanoa Valley as the Black Mountain Rotary Club.
A quick glimpse at local news coverage over the years offers a plethora of examples of the organization’s diverse array of involvement in this community.
The Black Mountain Rotary Club is currently a local partner for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and has recognized the town’s Firefighter of the Year for decades. It has, among many other things, supported local students with scholarships; facilitated an international exchange student program at Owen; raised funds for the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Endowment Fund and sponsored proms for students at the Community High School.
All of these projects enrich our community in ways that are too numerous to list, and the only thing required to keep them going is, perhaps, you.
“The Rotary Club’s main requirement is dues,” said Sloan, who is one of more than 200 members of the Asheville chapter. “There used to be attendance requirements, but they no longer have those. The main thing we’re looking for is new members who are motivated to find ways to support the important work of this chapter.”
The club’s charter and core group of members remain intact.
“We just need to reboot,” Sloan said. “The Valley has always been a big contributor to the district, and we know that nonprofit organizations are more relevant now than ever.”
The Asheville Rotary Club is committed to assisting the Black Mountain chapter, as it rebuilds.
Our community has been through so much these last few years, so I don’t want to come across like I’m standing on a soap box, but right now is the time to give back to the institutions that have given us so much over the years.
Register for the Swannanoa Valley Rotary Event at punchbowl.com. If you are unable to attend, contact Ross Sloan at rsloan@dartbank.com or at 517-883-9175.