About Us
In the spring of 1977 a group of men came together and began another proud chapter of service to their community, their professions and their fellow man through Rotary International. The Oak Hills San Antonio Rotary Club began as a Provisional club under the leadership of its first President, Jim Vernetti a Senior Active with nearly thirty years in Rotary. Our club’s Sponsor was Harry Newman, a Senior Active and member of the downtown San Antonio Club. Harry became a Paul Harris Fellow, when in his honor our club contributed the required amount to the Rotary Foundation. By late 1977, with Harry’s help and Jim’s leadership, our charter was granted and presented officially on Charter Night, December 7, 1977 With 35 charter members, the club embarked on its journey of service.
Our Past Projects:
For Rotary’s foremost concern, the youth of the World, we have tried to do our part. Over the years with the belief that organized sports activities teach teamwork, sacrifice and discipline plus provide good clean fun, we sponsored a basketball and baseball team of San Antonio boys and girls. Both teams won their respective championships during their first season. For the elderly we provided wheelchairs, televisions, a key board, and a yearly Christmas Party for San Antonio senior citizens. Our club completed the Centennial Project providing a renovated home for students who grow out of foster care. Through our major fundraiser, Shrimp Fest, over a twenty year period, we have contributed Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars to various charitable organizations. These include: Recipients of UTSA scholarship Programs, High School Scholarship Programs, Ronald Mc Donald House, Methodist Hospital Foundation, Project Any Baby Can, C.A.M.P for Handicapped Children, Eradication of Children’s diseases, Roy Maas Youth Alternative, Boy Scouts of America, Hunger Plus and many other charitable causes. Our club has also hosted and participated with the Youth Exchange program, and provided greeting bags for the Rotary International Convention which our District 5840 hosted in 2001. Our Club sponsored three Interact Clubs: Clark High School, the International School of Americas, and O’Connor High School. Interact Clubs promote the principles of Rotary to High School students.
Our Current, On-Going Projects:
We continue to sponsor the Interact Clubs at Clark High School, the International School of the Americas and O’Connor High School, providing college scholarships to participants in these Clubs. We now also support Early Act First Knight (EAFK) initiatives at the Oak Hills Terrace Elementary School. The EAFK effort promotes the principles of Rotary to elementary school children.
Our Meetings:
Our weekly meetings are lively and full of good fellowship. We have been fortunate in the diversity and quality of our programs. They have covered subjects from the Archaeology of South Texas to the San Antonio Zoo. We’ve learned more about institutions as diverse as the Witte Museum to the State Prison.
We have many more opportunities for service because our community really needs us! For those that join us in the months ahead, we will do our best to be up to the 4-Way Test and above all, will seek to always put “Service Above Self.”
Bil-David Trodlier
