Welcome to our Abingdon Ruritan Club web site, where we invite you to get to know us by browsing our pages. Our club is located in the Bena area of Gloucester County, in coastal Virginia.
________________________________________________________________________
The Spring Seafood Festival was a sell out! Thank you! We look forward to our Fall Seafood Festival on October 18, 2017. Tickets will go on sale on July 29th, and the band will be The Soul Intent.
Here’s a view looking out from the bandstand toward the “dance floor” during the Spring Festival.
__________________________________________________________________________
At our May meeting, club president Mike Davis, left, and Public Services Committee member Rick Taylor, right, presented a $500 check to Gloucester Commonwealth Attorney Holly Smith, center, to help fund the annual TRIAD Senior Safety Fair. TRIAD is a cooperative effort of law enforcement agencies (police, fire, and sheriff), senior citizens, and senior organizations, with a focus on reducing crime against seniors in our communities.
_________________________________________________________________________
The next American Red Cross Blood Drive at our club house will be on November 28, 2017.
Plan now to join us to “Give the gift of life” ❤️
__________________________________________________________________________Did you know that we have a Can Cottage on our grounds that benefits The Giving Garden, a local charity serving cancer patients? Giving Garden volunteers collect and sell the aluminum cans that people donate in the cottage, and they use the proceeds to assist cancer patients with unmet financial needs. Why not bag up your empty aluminum cans and bring them to the Can Cottage?
_________________________________________________________________________
Our Relay-for-Life team, The Speedy Diesel Mechanics, is also raising money to fight cancer! Team members have constructed cedar blue bird houses from local trees and are selling them for $20 each. They are still available and if you would like to get one, please call us and leave a message for Dave, our team captain. Dave is pictured below holding a blue bird house and a handmade fishing rod donated by Severn Wharf Custom Rods. The rod will be awarded to the lucky ticket holder at the Gloucester Relay in June. We also have raffle tickets for a handmade stained glass sun catcher and a hand crafted wooden holder, both to be awarded at the Gloucester Relay event in June. We also have forms available for you to purchase a luminaria to be lit at the event to honor a loved one who is either a cancer survivor or who has lost their life from cancer.
_________________________________________________________________________
In 2016 we celebrated our club’s 60th anniversary and the men from various faiths and occupations who joined together dedicated to making our community a better place to live and raise families, applying the values of fellowship, goodwill, and community service. Today our club is vibrant, vigorous, and robust, with men and women of the community working together to continue the vision of our founders by continuing to work hard for our community throughout 2017. Here’s a Quick Peek at some of the things we do!
Spring and Fall Seafood Festivals – We give back to the community over $60,000 each year.
Clam Chowder Sales – Offered in winter months with profits going back to the community.
College Scholarships – The Club awards $6000 in renewable Scholarships each year.
Gloucester Schools – We support Ruriteens, Boys and Girls State, Junior Law Cadets, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Little League Baseball, the STAR program, and the back-pack program.
Rudy Bears – “Rudy” distributes Rudy Bears to Children and Senior Adults. Bears are given to the Sheriff’s Office for distribution to children in accidents or in vulnerable situations.
Support Veterans – We participate with Veterans groups and Gloucester County on Memorial and Veterans’ Days and deliver care packages to VA Hospitals.
Support for the Homeless – Our Club participates with Community Churches in the GUEST program by providing meals and hands-on assistance for homeless individuals.
Christmas for Kids – Every December we host a party for all children, ages 8 and under, followed by a special party for Foster Kids of all ages. Santa and Mrs. Claus preside over both parties with lots of food, entertainment, fun, and presents. We also sponsor an Angel Tree for needy children with their personal “wishes” including clothes and shoes by size.
Protecting the Environment – We participate in Gloucester County Clean Up and help plant Sea Grass to save shorelines from erosion.
Benevolence – A fund is set up to help Gloucester citizens with special financial needs.
Special Emphasis – We work closely with our local Sheriff’s Office; provide our facilities for Blood Drives and local, state, and national elections; promote and provide a team for Relay for Life; and participate annually with the Guinea Jubilee. We collect and deliver food to local churches to stock their food pantries, make special deliveries to the Laurel Shelter, participate in Meals on Wheels, and donate pet food to the Humane Society.
Teamwork – We send cards and visit members who are sick and honor those with birthdays and anniversaries. All members share in cooking meals for monthly meetings, as well as working the Seafood Festivals to set up, advertise, sell tickets, cook, serve, and clean up. Members also maintain and repair ARC buildings and grounds. Programs for monthly meetings are used to inform, train, and entertain our members.
And Much, Much, More – Visit our Community Services Committees pages to learn more.
__________________________________________________________________________