WELCOME to Abingdon Ruritan Club’s website. Below you will see some of the things our club is planning and some of the things we have already done. You may click on the various tabs to get more information about specific things such as facility rentals, seafood festivals, scholarships, community service committees, etc. We hope you will visit this site often to see what we have done and what we are doing to serve our community and to help make it a great place to live.
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New Officers Installed for 2023
At the annual Christmas Party on December 12, 2022 the Abingdon Ruritans installed the new Officers for the upcoming 2023 year. Mike Morrison, President-elect for Ruritan National inducted the new officers.
President – Tony Dziadul
Vice President – Wanda Sprouse
Secretary – Dianne Woolley
Treasure – Ann Dugas
5 year Director – Gene Midkiff
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Welcome New Members December 2022
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Outstanding Club President Award
At the November meeting of ARC, Don Sandridge and Mary Lou Shepherd presented the 2021 Outstanding Club President Award to Dave Onesty for 2021. The award is given to club presidents who have met numerous requirements as required by Ruritan National.
AND ALSO
At the November meeting of ARC, Don Sandridge presented the Blue Ribbon Award for 2021 to 2021 President Dave Onesty and 2022 VP Mary Lou Shepherd. The Blue Ribbon award is given to clubs who have met numerous requirements as required by Ruritan National.
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New Board Officers elected for our upcoming 2023 year at ARC!
Left to right: Ann Dugas, Dianne Woolley, Tony Dziadul, Wanda Sprouse and Gene Midkiff
Incoming 2023 Abingdon Ruritan Officers
President – Tony Dziadul
Vice President – Wanda Sprouse
Secretary – Dianne Woolley
Treasure – Ann Dugas
5 year Director – Gene Midkiff
Congratulations to our new slate of officers for 2023. Their term begins on January 1, 2023.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Thank you for joining us.
November 2022 New members
August 2022 New members
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June 2022 New members
Welcome new members. Top, Mary and Mike Crandall with sponsors, Barbara and Walter priest; Bottom left, Mark Bradford, sponsor Don Sciria; Middle, Cathy Dale, sponsor Mary Lou Shepherd; Bottom right, Jhie Hale, sponsor Bill Hale.
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NEW 2022 BOARD MEMBERS WELCOME !
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Rebecca Lane, National Director Chesapeake District, installed our 2022 board members. Frank Gillerlian was installed as president, Mary Lou Shepherd as vice president, Ann Dugas as treasurer, Dianne Woolley as secretary, and Roger Dick as 1st year director.
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We are growing -17 new Members in 2021
We welcome you on your special day!
2nd row: President Dave and VP Frank welcomed four new members at our October
Membership Meeting. Pictured (left to right) are VP Frank; Chris Lamb, sponsored by
Mary Lou Shepherd; David Bowles & Abby Bowles, sponsored by Linda Oast;
Wanda Sprouse, sponsored by Sandra Hogge; and President Dave.
3rd Row: VP Frank; New Members Randy Fisher, Brenda Fisher, John Pendergraft,
Jeanie Pendergraft, Krista O’Neil, Steve O’Neil; and ARC President Dave. August Membership Meeting. Not shown are the new members’ sponsors who are: Marsha Weatherwax (Fishers’ sponsor); Tony Dziadul (Pendergrafts’ sponsor); and Roger Dick (O’Neil’s sponsor).
4th row: President Dave welcomed three new members at our September Membership Meeting. Pictured (left to right): Vickie Roberts, Mary McCracken, Walter McCracken, and President Dave. Vickie was sponsored by Julie Woolley. Mary & Walter were sponsored by Mary Lou Shepherd.
Welcome ARC Members Inducted November 2021!!
Raising us to 16 new members.
President Dave Onesty inducted Tina Lewis (sponsored by Roger Dick) and Scott Olmsted (sponsored by Dave Onesty) at the November Membership Meeting.
Welcome ARC #17 Newest Member Inducted December 2021!!
The Abingdon Ruritan Club recently welcomed a new member, Dean Marzocca. He was sponsored by fellow member Marsha Weatherwax. Pictured is Marzocca (left) with President Dave Onesty.
November 2021 New Member Dinner
Our16 new members and their sponsors met for fellowship, a meal, and discussion on the importance of being a Ruritan.
The rewards from the fellowship and goodwill among members coupled with the satisfaction of helping make our community a better place to live make membership in the Abingdon Ruritan Club a great choice.
Thank you sponsors!
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Abingdon Ruritan Club
marks 65th Anniversary
ARC recently hit another milestone of service to the Community – Chartered on October 8, 1956 – we reached 65 years of continuous service on October 8, 2021. See our “ABOUT US” page for full story.
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BUILDING RENTAL: Our building and our grounds are available for rentals!
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.
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.
Ruritan National does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, religion, color, political affiliation, handicap, or gender.
Here’s just a sample of what we normally 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. For additional information click Scholarship Opportunities
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 plant sea 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 Service Committees page to learn more.
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