Crystal Lake Rotary marks 35th year with Tuesday mixer, ribbon-cutting for new meeting venue, Oruga Social

The Rotary Club of Crystal Lake Dawnbreakers celebrates its 35th anniversary with a Crystal Lake Chamber Mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 at Oruga Social events venue, 1000 S. McHenry Ave. The public is invited to learn about Rotary and its commitment to community service and global wellbeing.

Club President Scott Bucklin announced that the club changed the day, time and location of weekly meetings to be more convenient, and the social will include a ribbon-cutting to mark the updated meeting schedule.

Information will be available at the event about Dawnbreakers Rotary, whose community service projects include work with Crystal Lake Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity, Home of the Sparrow and Veterans Path to Hope, and the Crystal Lake Park District, as well as Christmas gifts for those in need and road cleanup work. The group also selects charities and scholarships to fund “to build a better future,” Bucklin said in a news release.

Regular meetings of the Rotary group are held each Tuesday at 7:15 a.m. at Oruga Social.

Part of Rotary International, the club is one of 33,000 worldwide who collectively have more than 1.3 million members, according to the group.

“Our members are providing both sweat equity and dollars to make a difference locally and globally,” Bucklin said.

The Dawnbreakers club was founded in 1989 and has raised over $2 million with special events and raffles. All funds are distributed to support local charities as well as in partnership with Rotary International on global relief needs, the group said.

The club’s fundraising event for 2024 will be held Nov. 2 and is in partnership with Raue Center for the Arts featuring Fleetwood Max, a cover band concert.

Learn more about Crystal Lake’s Dawnbreakers Rotary at the club website, CLDawnbreakers.org.