In 1924, the Gee’s had a vision of a camp that would service local youth and on May 23, 2024, we celebrated 100 years of our Rotary Youth Camp impacting the youth of Kansas City. It was a glorious Centennial Celebration with over 160 attendees! The Dining Hall was decked out in Rotary blue and gold and aromas from the lunch buffet filled the air.
Rotary Clubs that joined Club #13 at the event included the Rotary Clubs of Lee’s Summit, Lee’s Summit Sunrise-Sunset, Eastern Independence, and the Rotary Club of Parkville. Government representatives in attendance included a representative from House of Representatives Sam Graves office, Chris Sandler Missouri District #33 Representative, Sean Smith, Jackson County 6th District Legislator, Michelle Newman and Marcy Caldwell of Jackson County Parks and Recreation and Marshana Smith from the office of Jackson County Executive Frank White. Rotary Youth Camp user groups Girls can Camp, the Boy Scouts, Midwest Brachial Plexus Society, the Joshua Center and the Kansas City Indian Center joined us for the event. In addition, we hosted representatives from the following local charities: Special Olympics of Missouri, the Sherwood Center, Operation Breakthrough, Hope House and Joy KC.
Following the gathering and the upscale camp food, President Tom Davis welcomed the guests, led the Pledge of Allegiance and introduced George Gordon who gave an inspirational invocation. Charlie Huffman sang Welcome to Rotary and led the group in God Bless America. President Tom recognized the many dignitaries in the crowd and when he gave special recognition to Camp Superintendent Laurie Mozley for her tireless work on the event and her years of dedication to the Camp, the group responded with a standing ovation. Marshanna Smith, Jackson County Public Information Officer, came to the podium and read a Proclamation from Jackson County Executive Frank White. A Centennial Video created by Laurie Mozley and narrated by Scott Holsman was shown. The heart-warming video was an overview of the Camp activities through the years with photos from many decades. Twins Sharon & Karen Whittlesey each gave a testimonial of their many years as Girl Scout Counselors at the Camp. Each had served in various roles with the Girl Scouts both with the Juliette Low Camp and the Girls Can Camp. Their comments were informative, funny and touching and their love for the Camp could be heard in their stories. Past President Eric Bub gave a passionate testimonial on how the Camp had impacted him as a Rotary volunteer. The meeting ended with President Tom offering tours of the Camp to any attendees.
Many thanks to Laurie and the dozens of volunteers who made the event go so smoothly. All details were well planned and implemented from parking directions, golf cart rides to and from the parking lot, Dining Hall preparations (special thanks to the Monday Morning Group for setting up and cleaning tables and chairs), luncheon setup and cleanup, and personal tours. Special thanks to UMB Bank for their generous contribution to support the Centennial Celebration activities.
The May 23rd luncheon was a great Centennial Celebration and a tribute to our Rotary Club 13 legacy.
