2003 District

The Sandy Run Ruritan Club hosted the Columbia District Convention at Beulah United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 6^th. The Family Life Building was beautifully decorated in the red and green colors of Christmas. Sandy Run Ruritan members made Snowman Soup favors for those attending the banquet. An excellent meal of turkey and ham, with all the trimmings, was prepared by the United Methodist Women of the church and was enjoyed by all in attendance. Sixty-eight Ruritans and guests joined together for a day filled with Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service. Thirteen of the twenty clubs in the Columbia District were represented. Members attending from the Sandy Run Ruritan Club were Jonney Albert, David Atkinson, Gay Atkinson, Millie Black, Dave Boney, Kathy Boney, Brad Bozard, Jackie Furtick, Nora Furtick, Betty Geiger, Gary Geiger, Herbert Geiger, Gary Hardee, Roger Hill, Curtis Lake, Faye Lake, Howard Pees, Sandra Pees, James Robinson, Lena Stabler, Marshall Stabler, Becky Starnes, and Gerald Starnes. Guests attending from the Sandy Run Ruritan Club were Ginger Hardee, Barbara Hill, and Vivian Robinson.

The Public Relations Committee from the Sandy Run Ruritan Club made a big hit with their display board depicting all the projects completed by the club for 2003. Special thanks to Gary Hardee who spearheaded this project and put in many long hours to make our display a success. The Lower Richland Ruritan Club also had an outstanding display board. Congratulations to both of these clubs for their hard work and excellent displays.

The Smile band provided the entertainment for the evening. Millie Keefe Black, a member of the Sandy Run Ruritan Club, is a member of the band. The group provided a very entertaining array of songs. Thanks for a job well done.

Gary Taylor, a member of the Pineview Ruritan Club and Ruritan National President in 1998, was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He recognized Jackie and Nora Furtick of the Sandy Run Ruritan Club as the newest members of Ruritan, James Amick of the Lower Richland Club as being a member of Ruritan the longest – 45 years, Pete Palmer of the Eastover Ruritan Club as being a member for thirty years with perfect attendance, and Ravenel and Ann Floyd of the Effingham Club as having traveled the longest distance to the convention.

New Columbia District Cabinet Officers for 2004 were elected. Dave Boney, National Director, installed the officers at the banquet on Saturday evening. The Sandy Run Ruritan Club will be well represented on the district cabinet level. Herbert Geiger was elected District Governor, and Lena Stabler was elected District Secretary. Congratulations to both of you on being elected to these positions of leadership.

During the awards portion of the banquet the Sandy Run Ruritan Club received recognition from Ruritan National for participation in the Annual Foundation Birthday Program and was congratulated for being a recipient of the Double Your Dollar Scholarship from the Ruritan National Foundation. Awards are given to clubs in gold, silver, and bronze categories. There are strict requirements to win these awards. The Sandy Run Ruritan Club received Silver Awards for Business and Professional, Environmental, Public Service, and Social Development. They received a Gold Award for Citizenship and Patriotism. Congratulations to the Sandy Run Ruritan Club for their accomplishments.

Betty Geiger, 2003 President of the Sandy Run Ruritan Club, was the recipient of a very coveted award. There are twenty clubs in the Columbia District and she received the Ruritan of the Year for the Columbia District and will be in contention for the National Ruritan of the Year at the National convention in January. Congratulations Betty on receiving this award.

Ruritans are looking forward to the 2004 National Convention in Winston-Salem, NC in January. Members will gather from all 1300 clubs to celebrate the achievements of Ruritan in their states. The slogan for Ruritans in 2003 was “We Care America” and this has been quite evident by the many accomplishments of Ruritan this year.

Sandy Run Ruritans host 2003 District Convention.