The Rotary Club of Sequim has always had an interest in our school district and local youth. The tradition of recognizing Sequim High School students monthly for their academic achievements, their community service, participation in extra-curricular activities and their “good guy-ness” continues today.

Students are invited to a luncheon and presented with certificates of recognition and letters for the scholarship notebooks.

Beginning at the club’s inception, The Rotary Club of Sequim presented graduating SHS seniors with academic and vocational scholarships until the early 2000s, when the focus shifted to benefiting a wider group of students through the awarding of teacher grants to assist in the purchase of materials for learning projects for the entire classroom.

The Rotary Club of Sequim sponsored Boy Scout Troop 490 in Sequim for more than six decades. Many Sequim boys developed fond memories of hiking the Olympic Mountains, attending scout jamborees and recycling newspaper to support their scouting activities.

The Sequim-Dungeness Chamber of Commerce approached the club and, in 1963, the Rotary Club of Sequim began the organization and implementation of Sequim’s Irrigation Festival Grand Parade.

Planning begins with the ringing of the New Year each January with preparing the invitation packages for entries and concludes after the tidying up of Washington Street after the parade and the distribution of all awards for parade participants.

Club members, Sequim Sunrise Rotary club members, spouses, friends, chamber representative and many, many others come together for this longest, continuously running parade, now in its 125th year.

To learn more about the Rotary Club of Sequim, “People of Impact” and our current projects, please visit our website at www.sequim rotary.org or our Facebook Page, Facebook.com/ SequimNoonRotary.

The club meets for lunch each Thursday at the Baja Cantina.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of nine articles highlighting the Rotary Club of Sequim, whose byline is, “People of Impact.” Club members plan to celebrate its nine decades of community service through the remainder of the year culminating with a Celebratory Tea on June 18 (at Pioneer memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St.), to which all former members, members’ spouses, exchange students and others will be invited.