‘ROTARY has been my lifeline and now we need a lifeline for Rotary,’ says the first female president of Henley Rotary Club ahead of its 50th anniversary next year.
For Anna Devey, the message could not be more heartfelt as she appealed for more members to help secure the future of the club she holds so dear.
Anna credits the club with turning her life around following the sudden death of her husband, and hopes her story will help build numbers.
Despite struggling with membership, she is proud that Henley Rotary Club has managed to raise £16,000 last year alone for local causes, including Myton, Shakespeare and Acorns hospices as well as Prostate Cancer Research.
Recent donations include £500 to Warwick Hospital Special Care Baby Unit towards a new heated cot for premature babies and £250 to Henley Memory Cafe for a theatre trip.
In her seventh year as a Rotarian, she is also making history as the first female president of the club after rules were changed in 1989 to permit women to join.
She said: “I am honoured to be the first female president but I hope being female will make no difference. I plan to guide and support Henley Rotary in any way I can.
“Rotary has been a lifeline for me. It is now a huge part of my life.
“I have enjoyed it, the friendships I have made, the ideas we have had which work out better than we had ever thought.
“It’s so rewarding seeing the difference we can make to other people’s lives. I think with only seven of us left we are limited to what we can achieve to raise money to help various causes, but where there is a will there is a way, this is where ‘service before self’ comes in.”
Henley Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at 12.30pm at The Red Lion in Claverdon.
Visit: rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=367 for more information.
