Category: News

In July 2024, the City of Pell City celebrated the installation of 20 black, cast-iron benches and 11 matching litter containers along Cogswell Ave. – the final piece of a years-long Downtown Improvement Project.

These new, modern benches were made possible through a contribution from the Rotary Club of Pell City. They join other significant improvements installed along Cogswell Ave., Comer Ave., and 19^th Street including new sidewalks and curbs, planters, and streetlights.

Rotary Past-President Serge Brazzolotto, who led the Club from July 2023 through June 2024, initially saw the value of transforming the City’s historic downtown into a more vibrant and walkable space. He spearheaded the club’s involvement.

“It was Rotary’s goal to provide the people of Pell City with something that enhanced their experience downtown,” Brazzolotto said. “These benches will be used daily, and our Club is proud to help improve our community in such a meaningful way.”

Total cost of the benches and litter containers was approximately $40,000. Rotary committed to assisting the City with the expense by contributing half the cost – more than $20,000.

This contribution is part of the Rotary Club of Pell City’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration. The Club, founded in 1974, marked a half century of community service this year, and each bench is branded with a badge that recognizes the Club’s decades of “Service Above Self.”

“Rotary sends a tremendous thanks to the City for the vision and effort that went into improving our downtown,” Rotary President Kelly Furgerson said. “We’re excited to celebrate our 50^th anniversary alongside this major accomplishment.”

The City of Pell City’s Downtown Streetscape Improvement Project dates back to June 2020, when the City applied for an Alabama Department of Transportation TAP Grant, which stands for “Transportation Alternatives Program.”

The grant request was for $640,000 to remedy ADA non-compliant sidewalks in the downtown area. The City provided local matching funds of approximately $500,000, including landscaping and lighting costs, as well as engineering and inspection fees.

In August 2023, the City awarded a bid for construction to Taylor Corporation of Oxford for approximately $830,000. Taylor Corp. completed their portion of the project in June.

Installation of the Rotary benches was the final piece. They were installed in July by the Pell City Street Department under the supervision of Greg Gossett and Blake Nixon.

“We are grateful to ALDOT for recognizing this need and helping us transform downtown Pell City,” Muenger said. “Punctuating it with a gift of this scale from Rotary is what truly makes this a community project, and one that we hope residents will appreciate for years to come.”

Pell City civic club announces Jingle Bell 5K, ‘fun run’ for Dec. 9

Hard to believe it’s been over 50 years since the Pell City Rotary Club was pieced together by just 25 faithful servants to our community. Because of the hard work and perseverance from past leaders over the many years, our club still stands strong and heavily active today in 2024.

Thank you to each and every individual who made it out to our 50th Anniversary Celebration July 16 and to all those who made it so special! It was great to see familiar faces of past members and presidents. Here’s to the next 10 years of Rotary!

Pell City civic club announces Jingle Bell 5K, ‘fun run’ for Dec. 9

Serving Others

The Pell City Rotary Club was happy to visit with and deliver meals to the Pell City Police Department in July! We are truly grateful for the sacrifices they make daily to protect our community and give us a safe place to call home. We love PCPD!

Pell City civic club announces Jingle Bell 5K, ‘fun run’ for Dec. 9

Coming up in two and a half weeks is a community athletic event that members of the Pell City Rotary Club hope will create a morning filled with family activity that also helps young men in the area.

Open to all ages and abilities,the Pell City Rotary Club’s first Jingle Bell 5K and Fun Run is even expected to attract a visit from Santa himself.

Money raised from the run will be used to help get the St. Clair County Boys Ranch back into full working order, there are lots of needs after being closed for several years.

For the rest of the story, check out the Daily Home/St. Clair Times article here

A nurse, a doctor and staff now tend to patients at a community clinic, a scene unaffordable for so many and non-existent just a few years ago.

A food pantry is well-stocked, giving those in need an opportunity to feed their families during hard times.

An adult learns to read for the first time through a literacy program, and high school students are learning to help one another cope with depression and suicide through creative, powerful podcasts.

Meals are delivered to first responders on the job as a thank you for jobs well done.

A museum opens, capturing the oral histories of the city’s citizens before their voices are lost to subsequent generations.

The list is long. The needs are longer. That’s why Pell City Rotary Club dedicates its efforts to serving the community year after year, acts that have been ongoing since 1974 when a group of business leaders founded the club with only 25 members.

Today, membership has more than tripled, and the growth continues. So does their service.

For the complete article, check out Discover, The Essence of St. Clair County

Giving, serving guide Pell City Rotary Club

Two years of a pandemic certainly changed the way Pell City Rotarians have operated, but their actions have never wavered from their guiding principle, “Service Above Self.”

As daily routines return more and more to normalcy, Rotarians have emerged with renewed vigor – a new determination – to do even more for their community. A synergy is taking hold as a new generation of leaders are stepping up to build on the legacy of making its community a better place.

“I joined Rotary when I attended Smiths Station High School after learning about what Rotary did for our community,” said Casey Cambron, one of Pell City Rotary’s newer members. “We stayed active in our town, visiting veterans’ homes for Christmas, area cleanups and other various community volunteer activities. As an adult, I still believe in volunteering in our community and found that Rotary was active in my area, and I wanted to give back to my community.”

And give back, he has. In addition to volunteering for a number of causes around the city, he has been involved in Rotary’s Father Daughter Dance. “I have helped with the Father Daughter Dance and seen many young girls spending time with their fathers. Seeing them dance together, spending quality time is an amazing experience.”

For the complete article, check out Discover, The Essence of St. Clair County

The Greater Rotary Club of Pell City recently began an extended campaign to show support to those on the front lines of service to the community.

Once a month, the club will buy and deliver box lunches to first responders on shift at local law enforcement agencies and the Pell City Fire Department. The first meals were delivered to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department in March, and meals were delivered last week to the Pell City Police Department.

The club will serve meals to Fire Department personnel in May, and will continue providing the meals on rotation for months to come.

“In their mission of service, the Rotary Club wants to recognize these men and women for all that they do, and for risking their lives every day to make our city and community a better and safer place to live,” said Serge Brazzolotto, vice president of the Rotary Club.

For rest of story, check out The St. Clair Times online

“In appreciation for their service, the Rotary Club of Pell City is serving meals to the Sheriff’s and Police Departments.

In their mission of service, the Rotary Club wants to recognize these men and women for all that they do and for risking their lives every day to make our city and community a better and safer place to live.

Thank you!

From Discover, The Essence of St. Clair Magazine

To Pell City Rotary Club, “Serve to Change Lives” is more than Rotary International’s theme for 2021. It’s the standard for this club this year and every year.

Not even a pandemic could stop Pell City Rotary from its mission. In big ways and small ways, the club leaves a lasting impact that does indeed change lives.

For years, it has been bringing daddies and daughters together for a special evening of dancing, fun and making memories that will last a lifetime. The annual Father-Daughter Dance is one of the most anticipated events in the community each year, serving as a catalyst for strengthening the bonds only a father and daughter can share.

But when the pandemic hit yet another surge, the dance was cancelled. Enterprising Rotary members had a better idea. They prepared hundreds of boxes full of surprises and goodies and an idea list of ways fathers and daughters could spend time together.

One idea was to watch a movie together and nestled in the midst of all the coupons for ice cream cones and meals they also could share, was the starring attraction – popcorn. Father + daughter + popcorn + movie. Now, that’s a winning formula for making relationships stronger.

Always the epitome of a communitywide event where everyone pitches in, under ordinary circumstances, Southland Golf Carts that shuttled fathers and daughters to and from the dance would have been a leading participant.

This year, the community still came together despite no dance.

For the boxes:

• Dairy Queen gave coupons for free ice cream cones.
• Chick-fil-a provided coupons for free kids meals.
• DJ Carson Bruce put together a playlist with a QR code for families to scan to listen to at home together.
• Main Street Memories added the popcorn as the box’s centerpiece.
• City of Pell City stored items at the municipal complex and loaned the space to assemble boxes and distribute.
• The Pell City Fire Department set up tents for distribution.
• Rotary volunteers assembled and distributed boxes.

And the end result were hundreds of fathers and daughters making new memories courtesy of Pell City Rotary Club.

Giving so Rotary can give

Rotary has two major fundraisers per year besides the Father-Daughter Dance – Ray Cox Memorial Golf Tournament and the annual Rotary Tennis Tournament.

Through these fundraisers, Rotary is able to do what it does best giving in service to others. Again, it is more than just raising money. It is about community in its truest sense, bringing people together for a good cause.

From those who sponsor the tournaments to those who play in them and the countless volunteers that make these successful events happen, the community rallies in support, knowing that their investment of time and funding brings sizable returns for good works throughout the city and beyond year after year.

Benefitting from grants given this year alone are: Lakeside Park, Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts, Easterseals Community Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Children’s Place Child Advocacy Center, Christian Love Pantry, Boy Scouts, St. Clair Literacy Council, Toys for Kids, Library Guild, YWCA, Mustard Seed Society, Ann’s New Life Center, Logan Martin Tennis Association, PCHS Show Choir, Kennedy Elementary School and the Pell City Education Foundation.

With a boost from Pell City Rotary and a district grant, the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home now has an impressively design, professional putting green, a small tribute to their service and sacrifice.

Weekly Mission

Each Tuesday, Rotarians gather together for lunch. Beyond a time of networking and fellowship, it is a time to learn more about their community and ways Rotary can help.

The club hosts expert speakers in their fields and leaders with a cause – all aimed at enlightening and inspiring Rotarians as they seek to make their community a better place for all.

Forty-seven years ago, 25 businessmen founded the club that has grown more than three-fold and continues to thrive. Their focus was service above self.

Today, that vision never wavers, it has only strengthened in time by serving to change lives.

Rotary Club of Pell City strives to present dynamic speakers each week, serving as a conduit for learning more about our community, our club and the world beyond their borders.

One of the more animated speakers in 2022 was Al Mathis, owner and CEO of DeSoto Caverns and Family Fun Park, one of Alabama’s most popular tourist attractions. Mathis used props and was constantly in motion to hold attention and deliver a compelling program on Rotary’s Four Way Test.

Mathis’ interest in Rotary was passed down through his grandfather, H.J. Taylor, who was a past president of Rotary International and writer of Rotary’s code of ethics, the 4-Way Test.

He has served as president of his Rotary Club in Sylacauga and in many local and district level Rotary positions. He was a keynote speaker at Rotary’s International’s Zone Institute during the 100th anniversary convention in Chicago. In addition, he runs the 4-Way Test Association as well as the Christian Workers Foundation out of his office.