Revitalized Fernley Rotary Club finds new energy and focus

When Sarah Braswell stepped in as president of the Rotary Club of Fernley at the start of the year, it wasn’t part of a long-planned transition. President Jessie Wagner resigned the week after Christmas, prompting an emergency board meeting and a quick decision that Braswell, the president-elect, would take the helm for the next year and a half.

“It’s been a learning curve, but people have been incredibly kind and helpful,” she said.

What Braswell walked into, though, was more than a leadership vacancy. The club had slipped into a period of low energy and limited participation. Attendance had thinned, committees had gone dormant, and the same handful of members were carrying most of the work.

Braswell says that has shifted quickly.

The club now has full committees again, with members stepping into roles where the club had been lagging. Kelsey Kibbe has returned to chair youth programs and manage the club’s social media presence. Traci Jo Brye is heading fundraising, and the club has begun pairing with local businesses for events that support long-standing Rotary projects such as its Weekend Backpack Food Program for students, Breakfast with the Grinch, the community Thanksgiving meal, and Easter and Christmas meal deliveries for shut-ins.

This year, the club is also planning a pageant to crown Miss Fernley, in partnership with Mrs. Nevada Ruth Wayrynen, as part of the city’s 25th anniversary festivities. A new committee is working on “karma boxes” where residents can take what they need or leave what they can. The Interact Club at Fernley High School is also developing a version for the campus. Another committee is focused on club engagement, planning quarterly fellowship events such as group trips to sporting events or Reno Aces games.

“Everybody is stepping up,” Braswell said. “We’ve added seven new members and brought back three who had drifted away. I haven’t seen this level of participation in a long time.”

Meeting attendance reflects that shift. The club meets at noon on Mondays at All Points Grill, and Braswell said recent meetings have averaged 38 to 40 members, with the lowest turnout still above 20. Guest speakers have helped, Braswell said, as has a renewed sense of purpose.