About Our Club

The Rotary Club of Central Johnston County came to life in 1988 with 26 members at our "Charter Night" banquet on April 24 (our official charter date is March 29, 1988).

Jim White – a long-time leader of the Smithfield Rotary Club – recruited women, minorities, persons of different faiths, and newcomers alongside the traditional nucleus of men from various professions to form the basis of Central Johnston Rotary. That tradition of seeking diversity in membership has continued since then, even after Jim's death in 2009.

Another of Jim White's legacies is our club's outstanding record in individual giving to the Rotary Foundation. Bolstered by "Groups of Four" members who pledge to give $250 annually over a four-year period, Central Johnston Rotary achieved status as a "100 Percent Paul Harris Fellow Club" in 2000, and has upheld that standard since then. Altogether, the club's members have contributed more than $350,000 to the Rotary Foundation since 1988.

The club's first major community-service project was the Rotary Golf Classic, launched under the leadership of Linwood Byrd in 1989 to raise money for college scholarships. Another early project that continues today was providing volunteer "bell ringers" for the Salvation Army's Christmas Red Kettle campaign (one of Jim White's favorite endeavors). For a complete list of our club's present-day service projects, follow this link>

OFFICERS FOR 2023-24

President -Jamie Stanley

President-Elect - 

Secretary -Elaine Marshall

Treasurer - Warren Grimes

Sergeant-at-Arms - Carl Simmons

Immediate Past President -Beth Watson

Club Administration Chair- Cheryl Campbell

Community Service Projects Chair - Joy Callahan

Membership Chair- Rick Childrey

Public Image Chair - Maureen McGuinness

Website - Amy Stanley

Rotary Foundation Chair -Parks Byrd