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.
Our club is vibrant, vigorous, and robust! Members, both men and women, work together to continue the vision of our founders by working to better our community.
Ruritan National does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, religion, color, political affiliation, handicap, or gender.
Membership in a Ruritan Club is by invitation. We welcome anyone who is interested in working and giving time to our community projects to let us know of your interest by simply reaching out to us by talking with one of our current members or by using our “Contact Us” form. We meet monthly for dinner and a program. Our programs showcase organizations that our local club supports as well as topics of interest in our community. We are a working service club, having many projects that we work on outside of our monthly meetings.
There are two Ruritan Clubs in Gloucester County, ours and the Gloucester Ruritan Club which meets in the Courthouse Area. Pictured below is a recent snapshot that epitomizes Ruritan’s motto: Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service.
Barbara and Paul Bauer of the Gloucester Ruritan Club and Don Sandridge and Roger Dick of the Abingdon Ruritan Club use our potato peeler to help prepare for the Gloucester Club’s Brunswick Stew fund raiser.
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News You Can Use
Seafood Festival tickets went on sale on March 2, 2019. See our Seafood Festival Page for details.
New College Scholarship Application Forms are posted on our Scholarship Opportunities Page. Gloucester High School and Gloucester Home Schooled seniors are invited to apply.
Two Red Cross Blood Drives will be held in our club house in 2019. Come out and donate on March 26 and November 26.
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Visit our Community Services Committees page to see photos and details about some of our activities, or scroll down for a quick overview.
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 – 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, 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.
Visit our Community Services Committees page to learn more.
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