Rotary club ready for 1st female president
When Alexandra Hellberg takes over next summer as the president of McMurray Rotary Club, she will bring something new to the club, which celebrated its half-century mark last year.
She will be the club’s first female president, succeeding Cliff Milowicki, the current leader.
“Due to the small amount of women in our club, I am not surprised,” said Hellberg, 24, when asked about becoming the club’s first female president. “I think it has a lot to do with either the lack of familiarity with the Rotary Club or the preconceived notion that it is more of a men’s gathering club.
“I think of myself as both a leader and also as a person who feels very fortunate to be in the position that I am in,” she said. “I am excited about the fundraising and service opportunities that come about in the Rotary Club, so I can make a difference in the community and in the world.”
Hellberg, a 2014 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College with a double major in international business and Spanish, said she was impressed with the welcome she received on her first visit to the club and the eagerness of the its 40-plus members to give back to the community.
“After speaking with some of the members for a few short minutes, I learned that most had families, businesses and busy lives,” said Hellberg, who sells high-end laboratory equipment for Nova Biostorage Plus in Canonsburg. “For them to add something to their plate and dedicate precious hours each week to a service club really inspired me, and I knew Rotary was something that I wanted to be part of.”
Hellberg said she wants to raise the profile of McMurray Rotary Club when she takes the reins.
“The biggest challenge is awareness, which hurts our mission to increase membership,” she said.
In the meantime, McMurray Rotary Club will hold its annual fundraiser, the Casino Gala, Sept. 24 at Southpointe Golf Club. Tickets are $75. Anywhere from 200 to 250 people attend the annual benefit, which raises money toward the club’s philanthropies.
Each year, McMurray Rotarians give more than $30,000 to nonprofit organizations in Peters Township and beyond. The club also continues its longtime practice of providing two scholarships to Peters Township High School seniors, and it also has a relationship of 15-plus years supporting an orphanage in Cali, Colombia.
Another project is sponsoring the Interact Club at the high school, through which students become involved in community service.
For more information about the club, the Casino Gala and Rotary membership, contact Alexandra Hellberg at alexandramhellberg@gmail.com.