St. Cloud Rotary Celebrates 100 Years of Service

(KNSI)—A new club member is helping St. Cloud Rotary plan to celebrate a century of service.

On Wednesday, during a special Rotary meeting in the lobby of the Paramount Theatre, Mayor Jake Anderson will make a proclamation declaring Sunday, April 27th, Rotary Day. On that day in 1925, the civic organization held its first meeting in what was then the Breen Hotel and Sherman Theatre.

Members say part of the institution’s success has been getting new people involved, like first-year Rotarian Nancy Dyson. She was asked by longtime member Mike Mullin and took on the role because she respected him and felt honored to be trusted with the event. She also loves planning. Dyson told KNSI News a couple of friends introduced her to the group. “I went to a couple of meetings, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was sort of the real deal. You know, they actually really, really care about the community and are people of action. And that resonated with me.”

The group has 122 members and is the third-largest chapter in the state. Dyson believes being part of Rotary is about listening to the community. “It’s getting out there and hearing where pain points are in the community and where we can maybe react to that. So, if people have projects that they would like to see happen or places where you think Rotary could help, by all means, let us know.”

She pointed out the club’s work in revitalizing Eastman Park around Lake George, which ushered in the Summertime by George free concert series, as an example of improving the town. They also helped build the St. Cloud Community Outpost (COP House) and initiated the Preschool 4 Success program with District 742, providing free preschool access to children who might otherwise might miss out.

During the 2025 Summertime By George concerts, Rotary will set up a booth to inform people about their work over the past 100 years.

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