Spring Place Ruritan Club earns awards, plans activities

Published 12:01 am Friday, December 13, 2019

The Spring Place Ruritan Club has been recognized by Ruritan National for decades of work in our community. An organization in which the entire family can be involved, Ruritan is dedicated to improving communities and building a better America through fellowship, goodwill and community service.

The Spring Place club was organized in 1950 and has been an important part of education and community improvement ever since. In fact, four generations of area residents have now been in Ruritan and attend its monthly meetings. With more than 40 members, Spring Place is the largest and oldest Ruritan Club in the Georgia/Alabama District of Ruritan National, which is headquartered in Dublin, Virginia.

The Spring Place club was recently honored at the District Convention held in Armuchee. Contributions to the Ruritan National Foundation were recognized, and the club received two National Service Awards, a silver in the area of social development and a gold for club activities promoting citizenship and patriotism. Elizabeth Robinson was elected as district lieutenant governor for 2020.

The Spring Place club’s only fundraiser is an annual golf tournament set for April 18, 2020, at Indian Trace. Money raised from the tournament is donated to at least 25 community projects and causes. Among them are the Alzheimer’s Association, Community Christmas, Rescue Squad and EMTs, several schools, the Salvation Army Food Bank, Special Olympics, Saturday Snacks, Keep Chatsworth-Murray County Beautiful, the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Spring Place Cemetery, Murray County Fire Department, Division of Family and Children Services, Chatsworth-Murray County Public Library, Murray County Family Connections, Christmas in the Park, Murray County Next Step and the Charles “Judy” Poag Murray County Senior Center

The group also recognizes all Murray County school employees on Teacher Appreciation Day in May and presents scholarships in memory of longtime Ruritan members and local educators G.I. Maddox and Carl L. Davis each year.

Ruritan meetings are the first Thursday of each month except July, usually at the Old Spring Place Methodist Church. A covered dish supper begins at 7 p.m. with a short business session following.

Officers for 2020 are President Chuck Smith, Vice President Brenda Jackson, Secretary Tim Howard and Treasurer Vicki Bramblett.

Regular annual dues are $44 while student memberships are $15.

To find out more about the benefits of Ruritan membership, visit www.ruritan.org or call (706) 695-2740. There are also Ruritan clubs in Cohutta.