LEFT: Lorinda Peters of the Marble Falls Rotary club plays 'Amazing Grace' during a 2021 commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. CENTER: Marble Falls Fire Rescue Chief Russell Sander rings the bell to honor fallen firefighters and police officers. RIGHT: Horseshoe Bay Assistant Fire Chief Stephanie Black reads the history of the bell ringing for fallen firefighters, a time-honored tradition across the country. The Marble Falls Rotary designed and built the Veterans Memorial at Johnson Park and holds ceremonies there on all patriotic holidays. Photos by Mark Stracke

LEFT: Lorinda Peters of the Marble Falls Rotary club plays ‘Amazing Grace’ during a 2021 commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. CENTER: Marble Falls Fire Rescue Chief Russell Sander rings the bell to honor fallen firefighters and police officers. RIGHT: Horseshoe Bay Assistant Fire Chief Stephanie Black reads the history of the bell ringing for fallen firefighters, a time-honored tradition across the country. The Marble Falls Rotary designed and built the Veterans Memorial at Johnson Park and holds ceremonies there on all patriotic holidays. Photos by Mark Stracke

The mission of Rotary International is “service above self,” a statement that Noon Rotary Club of Marble Falls members take seriously. The evidence can be seen across the area: at The Helping Center, in Johnson Park, at Spicewood Elementary School and Marble Falls High School, in the Marble Falls Public Library, in front of stores on holidays, and, most recently, in local businesses during Career Day. 
That kind of dedication to community netted the group a 2023 Locals Love Us award for Favorite Club/Organization, voted on by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
“Our mission is to give back to our community and make sure it is a warm, welcome, and secure place for people to work and live,” said Kim Kankel, president of the Marble Falls club. “It’s super exciting for us for the community to recognize all we have given back. It’s a real honor.” 
The Marble Falls Rotary club began in 1950. It meets at noon every Thursday at the River City Grille, where it hosts weekly speakers who are paid via a book donated to the Marble Falls library in their name. That’s 52 books a year. 
The club installed the Veterans Memorial in Johnson Park in 2017. Members honor veterans during ceremonies at the memorial on all patriotic holidays.
The walk-in freezers at The Helping Center food pantry were purchased by the Marble Falls Rotary, and the group remodeled the kitchen at the Boys & Girls Club of the Highland Lakes unit in Marble Falls. It also installed the playground at Spicewood Elementary School and is a major donor to the Marble Falls High School girls' basketball tournament each year. 
During the Christmas holiday season, Rotary members can be found in front of stores ringing those Salvation Army bells. 
In January each year, they organize Career Day for Marble Falls High School, Falls Career High School, and Faith Academy of Marble Falls juniors. This year, more than 150 students spent the day at about 26 businesses for a firsthand look at career possibilities. Five of those students worked as reporters for DailyTrib.com and KBEY radio, holding editorial strategy meetings and researching, interviewing, and reporting for stories both online and on the air. 
The club also gives five graduating seniors $2,000 scholarships each year.
The story could go on and on as the previous examples are only part of what the Marble Falls Rotary club has contributed to the community. 
“Every Rotarian who comes in has a servant’s heart,” Kankel said. “We want to make sure our future is positive for our kids” 
Also voted Favorite Club/Organization were the Highland Lakes Master Gardener Association for the Burnet area and the Llano High School FFA for the Kingsland/Llano area. Flip through the digital 2023 Locals Love Us magazine for a full list of winners.
suzanne@thepicayune.com