The 80th Anniversary Planning Committee spent months creating special displays for the event. From left are Russ Bechthold, Dennis Dunbar, Ralph Carhart, Debbie Kesselring, Victoria Porter, Betsy Alberts, Pam Smith, Diana Cralle, Cathy Smallhouse.

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - The Rotary Club of Fair Oaks recently celebrated its 80th anniversary, highlighting its history and significant contributions to the community and beyond. More than 150 members, community leaders, and distinguished guests gathered at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse on June 1 for a catered event to mark the occasion and reconnect with old friends.

Club President Betsy Alberts opened with a welcome speech, thanked the club’s community partners and sponsors, and introduced Rotary dignitaries from nearby clubs. 

“The timing for this celebration couldn’t be better,” said Alberts. “We didn’t get to celebrate our 75th anniversary because of the pandemic. Now that the park has reopened and we are holding our meetings again at the renovated clubhouse, we felt it was time to show the community we are back, full force, with new members.”

 Senator Roger Niello and Natalya Sachuk presented a Legislative Resolution to the Fair Oaks club. From left are Dennis Dunbar, Josh Gumacal, Sachuk, Senator Niello, Betsy Alberts, Debbie Kesselring, Diana Cralle, Victoria Porter, Pam Smith.

Local government officials and representatives in attendance included Senator Roger Niello, Josh Gumacal from the office of Congressmember Ami Bera, and Natalya Sachuk from the office of Assemblymember Josh Hoover. 

Senator Niello and Sachuk jointly presented a Legislative Resolution commending the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks for the “vital role it has played in improving the quality of life in the local community and beyond.” 

Additionally, Rotary District Governor Megan Ellinghouse presented a Certificate of Recognition in honor of the club’s 80 years of service, fellowship, leadership and community impact.

“The Rotary Club of Fair Oaks is a wonderful example of what happens when Rotary’s values are consistently and visibly lived out,” Ellinghouse said. “Through service projects, youth programs, scholarships, community partnerships and countless acts of kindness, the members of this club have embodied our motto: Service Above Self.”

Cathy (Beard) Smallhouse became the first female member in 1992. Roberta Pickett (right) was the first female president of the Fair Oaks club.

President Alberts also acknowledged the event’s planning committee, led by Debbie Kesselring, for organizing the evening’s program. The committee spent months creating engaging room displays featuring a slideshow of community projects, club photos, trading banners and flags from around the world, newsletters, historical documents, numerous awards and memorabilia, including the club’s first gavel from 1946. 

Other featured speakers included Vic Porter, Diana Cralle, Ryan Palmer, Tom Freeman and Joe Scheimer, who presented on the organization’s historical evolution and activities that have impacted the community both locally and internationally.

For the occasion, guests took home a complimentary copy of “Looking Back on 80 Years,” a booklet on the club's history by longtime Rotary member Ralph Carhart.

More than 150 Rotary Club members, community partners and distinguished guests showed up to support the Fair Oaks Club's 80th anniversary.

According to Carhart, the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks was founded in 1946 with 29 charter members. No more than two members of any profession or honorable occupation were permitted to join. Membership was by invitation only, and only men were allowed to join.

In her presentation, Cralle highlighted a pivotal 1985 milestone that forever changed club membership. That year, the Supreme Court ruled that women could join the organization. Cathy (Beard) Smallhouse was the first woman to join the Fair Oaks club in 1992. It wasn’t until 2006 that Roberta Pickett became the club’s first female president.

Today, the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks has over 100 members, with an equal split between men and women. 

“The main requirement to join is the desire to serve, which aligns with our motto,” Cralle said. “An added benefit is that many members become lifelong friends and enjoy spending time together socially.”

As part of Rotary's tradition, club members from around the world exchange flags when visiting other clubs and attending Rotary business.

The organization has a long history of completing numerous large and small service projects and collaborating with its community partners, including the Orangevale-Fair Oaks Food Bank and the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District.

Since 2021, the Fair Oaks club has contributed more than $50,000 to support food drives and projects at the food bank and its adjacent farm. Club members have also volunteered thousands of hours to support these efforts.

Last year, the club completed a $10,000 grant-funded project to purchase and install a new greenhouse and equipment for the farm. Past food bank projects have included upgrading the solar and refrigeration systems, funding a new drive-through distribution barn, and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Rotary 5180 District Governor Megan Ellinghouse presented the Fair Oaks club with a Certificate of Recognition.

Through its youth service projects, the club has awarded $11,000 in scholarships each year to college-bound high school seniors from Bella Vista, Del Campo and Meraki. Last year, the club provided new shoes to children at Northridge Elementary School, and this year it is doing the same for students at Coyle Elementary School.

Each year, the club president selects a project to submit to the district for matching funds. This year, President Alberts's major project was to build a wheelchair-accessible Community Teaching Garden for Infinite Friends, a local nonprofit that teaches social and life skills to neurodiverse individuals. Rotary also upgraded the nonprofit’s softball field. With the match, the club contributed $10,000 to these projects.

To support its many projects, the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks hosts two annual fundraisers: the Beer Garden at the Chicken Festival in September and the popular Mardi Gras Crab Feed in February. Proceeds from these events benefit the club’s community and international initiatives as well as its local youth programs.

The Rotary Club of Fair Oaks meets Monday evenings at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse at 7997 California Ave., Fair Oaks. Visitors are welcome to attend. For more information, visit www.rotaryfairoaks.org.

Through one of its youth service projects, the Fair Oaks Club has donated hundreds of shoes to Northridge and Coyle Elementary Schools.