Padre Island Rotary Club

04/15/2026

Last night the Padre Island Rotary Club voted Ken Ritchie into the position of club President.
Ken is the pastor of the Island Presbyterian Church on Padre Island and has shown strong leadership skills with club projects.
This photo with club Treasurer, Naomi Ellis, shows Ken's official swearing in. Congratulations Ken!

04/01/2026

The Padre Island Rotary Club is proud of its association with Texas A&M Corpus Christi's Supervised Independent Living (SIL) program through its Former Foster and Adopted Aggies initiative.
They provide housing support, skill development and personalized care for students who have aged out of the Texas foster care system and are pursuing an education at Texas A&M.

Every month, Padre Island Rotary Club members, cook homemade meals to bring to campus to share with the students and offer mentoring services to the group. It is a fun evening of getting to know each other.

In January, the SIL Director turned the tables and honored our club with a delicious cake to celebrate our newly formed independent chapter.

02/24/2026

02/19/2026

Maryanne's Way Park on Whitecap Blvd is the signature project of the Padre Island Rotary Club.
Recently the park's gazebo was vandalized and an Island good samaritan, who owns an Island construction company, repaired the gazebo and purchased a new American flag at no cost to the club or the city. He asked that his name not be mentioned, but we still want to say: THANK YOU!!

02/13/2026

All high school students are welcome to enter your local Rotary Club's
Four-Way Test Speech Contest for a chance to win a scholarship prize and a chance to represent your area at the District 5930 Four-Way Test Speech Contest.

The contest will be held during the Youth Summit on April 11 at 1pm.

The District Champion will have the opportunity to deliver their speech at the District Conference on April 25, 2026, in McAllen, TX.

For more information, contact The Four-Way Test Speech Contest Anna Putegnat.

02/13/2026

Big shout out to all of our beautiful friends in Padre Island Rotary Club keep up all the good works and I am proud to play a small part! My team and I love having you guys in the house!!

02/10/2026

The Rotary Club of Padre Island swore in their 2026 Officers.
President: Ron Little
Vice President: Ken Ritchie
Secretary: Dennis Fu Kune
Treasurer: Naomi Ellis
Membership: Terry Sassin
Public Relations: Elaine Motl

Congratulations to all and thank you for your service.

02/02/2026

The Rotary Club of Padre Island officially became an independent club recognized by Rotary International on January 20, 2026.

The fifteen Founding Members are:
Caren Childers
Naomi Ellis
Judy Harrell
Joe Harvey
Anton Kindzirtsky
Denis Foo Kune
Linda Lindsey
S***t Lindsey
Ron Little
Elaine Motl
Barbara Ritchey
Ken Ritchie
Terry Sassin
Donovan Shia
Ingrid Spear

The group will conduct a strategic planning session in the upcoming weeks and identify their future projects and goals.

10/03/2025

# Padre Island Rotary: People of Action Putting Service Above Self Into Action

**Supporting Future Leaders Through Education**

Padre Island Rotary is proud to support the Supporting Independence through Living (SIL) program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, which provides foster youth aging out of the foster care system an opportunity to pursue a college education.

As part of our ongoing commitment to these deserving students, our club recently donated a refrigerator to help meet their daily living needs. This essential appliance ensures students have a safe place to store fresh food, allowing them to focus on their studies and build successful futures.

Every young person deserves the chance to thrive. Through partnerships like the SIL program, Padre Island Rotary continues to make a meaningful difference in our community, one student at a time.

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**About the SIL Program**

The Supporting Independence through Living program at A&M-Corpus Christi provides comprehensive support to former foster youth, including housing, mentorship, and resources to help them succeed in higher education and transition to independent living.

**About Padre Island Rotary**

Padre Island Rotary is a service organization dedicated to putting Service Above Self into action through community programs, youth services, and international humanitarian efforts.

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*For more information about Padre Island Rotary or how you can support the SIL program, please contact
Naomi Ellis 361-793-1851

09/04/2025

At our last club meeting, MK Walling, Northern District Director for Senator Adam Hinojosa, gave us an update on current issues and policies taking place in our district and in Austin.
Also in attendance was Senator Hinojosa's wife, Victoria Hinojosa. Thank you for coming!