News of Interest!
(Updated 07/09/2025)
Waynesville Rotary will meet on Friday, July 11th. at Laurel Ridge on Friday July 11th for our regularly scheduled meeting.
Our featured speaker is Richard Hurley of Cataloochee Ranch.
A buffet lunch ($25.00 per plate) is served circa 12:30 p.m. The program begins circa 1:00 p.m.
About Us
How We're Helping
Waynesville Rotary believes in "Service Above Self" and base our local and global services on that value. Locally, we provide scholarships for students at the community college and university levels, provide backpacks of food to children who otherwise wouldn't have something to eat on weekends, and provide construction and other projects through United Way Day of Caring and Habitat for Humanity. These are just a few of our community service initiatives.
Recent Community Services:
Shown in the image to the left are Rotarians Chris and Bill Owens, Chip Killian, and Ed LaFountaine as they prep and serve the evening meal at Pathways. The club provides this community service each 4th Wednesday of the month.
2024 United Way Day of Caring - constructed garbage containment structure for local group home.
School Year 2024-2025 Manna Backpack Project
Food boxes/bags are delivered weekly, when school is “in-person"
Over 9 months, there were 25 delivery days. 7 days were lost due to Hurricane Helene. Between 5 & 8 schools per week were supported. 9,940 food bags were delivered by Waynesville Rotarians. Per Manna Food Bank, this represented $49,700.00 in donations.
Christmas Food baskets provided in conjunction with Haywood/Sunrise Rotaries (470 baskets delivered 2024 at cost of $37,500.00) The 28 year total now stands at 11,502 families served at a cost of $331,191.00
Blankets for Mtn. Projects "warmth" efforts (in excess of 1000 blankets donated/distributed 2024 by all service clubs including clubs around the country.)
Get Involved
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for new members to help us make our vision a reality. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team! Just ask David Nedved or Chris Owen!
Thank You
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time such as cooking up some food as the Leatherwood brothers are doing in the image to the left, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you.