Rotary Club of Asheville

09/15/2026

The Rotary Club of Asheville contributed $3,167 toward a joint $4,000 Rotary grant to help wART FM 95.5 establish an emergency backup broadcast studio at A-B Tech Madison. The Rotary Club of Madison County provided the remaining $833.

Hurricane Helene destroyed wART’s downtown Marshall studio in September 2024. With donated equipment, temporary space and extraordinary determination, the volunteer-powered station returned to the air within nine days to share critical news and recovery information.

The new equipment will help wART continue broadcasting if flooding, a power outage or another disaster disrupts its primary studio. The backup location will also serve as a learning lab for A-B Tech students and community members interested in radio, journalism, podcasting and local programming.

We are honored to partner with the Rotary Club of Madison County to help keep our mountain communities informed and connected when it matters most.

09/14/2026

We had a great group turn out to write cards to the veterans who will be on the September 26 on Honor Flight. Eighty veterans will be participating in the flight. They will be returning to the Asheville airport that evening and we hope for a huge reception for them. Won’t you join us around 8 PM at the airport? There will be free parking at the ag center and shuttles running to the terminal. Let’s show up in a big way to thank these folks—many of whom came back from Vietnam during a difficult time and were never appropriately thanked for their service to our country

09/14/2026

Join the Rotary Club of Asheville for three September social gatherings coming up soon! These events are open to everyone: Rotarians, friends, and community members alike. So come on down!

1. Monday, September 14 at 5 p.m.
Help write notes of appreciation for Honor Flight participants at the Highland Brewing Tap Room.

2. Wednesday, September 16 around 5 p.m.
Join our informal Third Wednesday gathering in the Highland Brewing Meadow, or inside the Tap Room if it rains.

3. Saturday, September 26 at 6 p.m.
Enjoy dinner at Sierra Nevada, followed by a trip to Asheville Regional Airport to welcome home the returning Honor Flight.

Reservations are required for the September 26 dinner. Please RSVP to [email protected] by noon on Thursday, September 24.

Non-alcoholic beverages will be available at all events.

09/14/2026

The Rotary Club of Asheville is proud to recognize Spicer Greene Jewelers as a one of our generous Impact Investors.

For nearly a century, this family-owned Asheville business has built a legacy grounded in craftsmanship, integrity and care for its community. We are especially grateful to our fellow Rotarian, Eva-Michelle Spicer for her leadership and for continuing that tradition of generosity.

Support from sponsors like Spicer Greene helps Rotary invest in local scholarships, teacher and first-responder recognition, community grants, and humanitarian projects here in Western North Carolina and around the world.

Thank you, Eva-Michelle and the entire Spicer Greene team, for helping us turn Service Above Self into meaningful action.

09/12/2026

Help us recognize the educators who bring excellence, compassion and dedication to classrooms across Asheville and Buncombe County.

Nominations are now open for the Rotary Club of Asheville’s fifth annual Teachers of Excellence Awards. Following a review and finalist interview process, five outstanding teachers will each receive a $2,000 award.

Principals, administrators, parents, students and fellow teachers may all submit nominations. If you know an educator whose impact deserves to be celebrated, please tell us their story by September 25.

Nominate a teacher: https://forms.gle/nqEEMwSyoFMFytnb9

09/11/2026

Join us to welcome home these heroes on September 26!

09/11/2026

Goombay returns to Asheville this weekend, September 11–13!

Hosted by the YMI Cultural Center, this annual celebration brings our community together through African and Caribbean culture, music, food, art, history and the rich heritage of Asheville’s Black community.

Volunteers are still needed to welcome guests, assist vendors and performers, support hospitality and seating areas, help with setup and breakdown, and keep festival spaces clean, safe and welcoming. No special experience is required, and multiple shifts are available.

Come lend a hand, or bring your family and friends and enjoy one of Asheville’s great cultural celebrations.

Learn more and sign up: https://www.ymiculturalcenter.org/goombay

09/11/2026

Today marks 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

We remember the lives lost, honor the courage of the first responders and ordinary citizens who moved toward danger to help others, and hold close the families and communities whose lives were changed forever.

May remembrance continue to move us toward compassion, service and peace.

09/10/2026

ICYMI: Rotary Club of Asheville meeting 9/10/26

We were pleased to welcome several guests, including Anna Duque Higgins and Mark Dispenza, District Governor-Elect for District 6200 in Louisiana. Mark shared that his district supported Western North Carolina’s recovery following Hurricane Helene. We are so grateful to them!

Our featured speaker was Jackie Curtis Kiger, Executive Director of Pisgah Legal Services. Jackie shared how the organization provides civil legal aid to people experiencing poverty across 18 Western North Carolina counties. Each year, Pisgah Legal helps more than 20,000 people address critical needs involving safety, housing, health care access, and income.

Jackie also talked about the organization’s continuing Hurricane Helene recovery work and the significant funding challenges it faces while the demand for its services remains high.

We are grateful to Jackie for helping us better understand the essential role Pisgah Legal plays in protecting and supporting our most vulnerable neighbors across WNC.

Members also learned about several upcoming opportunities to put Service Above Self into action, including writing cards for Honor Flight veterans, helping at the Arboretum service project, and supporting the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on October 3.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today!

Pisgah Legal Services

09/10/2026

Our very own Rick Devereaux, a past president of the Rotary Club of Asheville, will take the stage at PechaKucha Night Asheville this Friday, September 11! Let’s see how many Rotarians we can bring together to support him and hear his story.

✨ Meet PechaKucha Night Asheville presenter Rick Devereaux!

Rick is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and national security consultant. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he flew the C-5 Galaxy, KC-135 Stratotanker, and jet trainers during a career that included leadership assignments in the Middle East, England, and the Pentagon. He concluded his military service as the Air Force’s Director of Operational Planning.

Since moving to Asheville in 2012, Rick has consulted with defense industry firms and think tanks while remaining deeply engaged in the local community. He serves on several community boards, chairs the Blue Ridge Public Radio Board, and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Asheville.

Join us on September 11 to hear Rick share his story at PechaKucha
TIX: https://pechakuchaavl.org/events/vol42