State College/Downtown Rotary Club to host anniversary gala

STATE COLLEGE — The State College/Downtown Rotary Club will be hosting a gala at 6 p.m. Friday, May 19, to celebrate the 100th year of the Rotary Foundation.

The event will be held at the Mountain View Country Club. Tickets will be sold through Monday, May 1, and can be purchased at www.downtownstatecollegerotary.org.

The foundation is an international organization that transforms gifts into projects that aim to change lives close to home and around the world, the organization said in a press release. The Rotary International Foundation has been instrumental in eradicating polio worldwide and is a constant vigilante in the fight, according to the release.

Locally, since 2012, Rotary Foundation grants have equated to more than $20,000 in charitable dollars going to the community. These grants have been used to help Housing Transitions and the Boy Scouts improve facilities and have assisted Interfaith Human Resources and the Dyslexia Society of Central Pennsylvania upgrade technical support and equipment. Foundation grants also helped seed the Sue Sheridan Fund for needy children and youth in the State College Area School District.

The State College/Downtown Rotary Club was founded in 1986 and has more than 50 local leaders committed to creating positive, lasting change in the community and around the world. The club holds weekly meetings Thursday at noon in the Ramada Inn & Conference Center on South Atherton Street.