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.
NOTICE 4/3/2020 TO TICKET HOLDERS: Please click on the following link for complete information : CANCELLATION OF SEAFOOD FESTIVAL PDF (1) or navigate to our Seafood Festival page.
Please share these important changes to our College Scholarship Application Process with 2020 Gloucester High School graduating seniors or 2020 graduating home-schooled students.
1. ALL Forms must be mailed to the Abingdon Ruritan club by April 17. Do not turn them in at the high school.
2. Revised Scholarship Forms and Criteria for the 2020-2021 school year are posted on our Scholarship Opportunities Page.
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A Letter to Our Community from Our Club President
I hope you are all doing well in these trying times. We have never had to deal with a situation like this before, but I am confident that our club will survive and continue to do great things for our community.
We had a spectacular beginning to the year with several great projects and our seafood festival selling out in less than a week. Of course, that all became secondary to the threat of the spread of the COVID 19 Virus.
Pray for each other, keep safe distances from others, wash hands, stay away from crowds, and hopefully this will pass soon. We will get through this together!
Jim Leiffer
President
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On February 24, volunteers from the Abingdon Ruritan Club recently assisted with Peasley Middle School’s Student Reality Store. The event gives students an opportunity to explore the financial challenges they may face as an adult and encourages them to think seriously about the kind of education they may need in order to live the kind of lifestyle they imagine for themselves as an adult. Volunteering and pictured below are Front row (l to r): Benjamin Steeneck, Bunny Ekdahl, Don Sciria and Roger Dick. Back row (l to r) Betsy Tuttle, Wade Bunn and Josie Lankford
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. 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. Programs for monthly meetings are used to inform, train, and entertain our members.
Here’s just a sample of what 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 thousands of dollars 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, Fire & Rescue, and Nursing Homes for distribution to children in accidents or in vulnerable situations, or to adults who need comfort.
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.
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 care for the environment by participating in Clean Gloucester Days and by picking up roadside and shoreline trash, and we have helped grass for erosion control. 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.
Visit our Community Services Committees page to learn more.
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