Spring Place Ruritan Club receives awards; announces its upcoming activities

Published 12:03 am Sunday, April 9, 2017

The Spring Place Ruritan Club has again been recognized by Ruritan National for its 66 years of work in the 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 Ruritan club in the Georgia/Alabama District of Ruritan National, which is headquartered in Dublin, Va.

The Spring Place club has been recognized for its contributions to the Ruritan National Foundation and growth, and also received three National Service Awards — a bronze in the area of environment, a silver in the area of social development and a gold for club activities promoting citizenship and patriotism.

The club’s only fundraiser is an annual golf tournament which is April 22 at Indian Trace. Money raised from the tournament is then put back into the community as the club donates to more than 20 community projects and causes each year. Among them are the Alzheimer’s Association, Community Christmas, rescue squad and EMTs, several schools, 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, the Division of Family and Children Services, Chatsworth-Murray County Library and Murray County Family Connections.

The group also recognizes all Murray County school employees on Teacher Appreciation Day in May and is currently receiving applications for the annual G.I. Maddox and Carl L. Davis Memorial Scholarships at the local public high schools.

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 2017 are President Elizabeth Robinson, Vice President David McDaniel, Secretary Tim Howard and Treasurer Vicki Bramblett. Regular dues are $44 per year and special student memberships are available, too. To find out more about the benefits of Ruritan membership, visit www.ruritan.org or call (706) 695-6021.