On June 25, at the annual Rotary banquet, the “passing of the gavel” officially made Patricia Stokes the president of the Louisville chapter. Stokes took the reins from Glen Haab. Patricia Stokes is a long-time member of the Louisville Rotary Club, a chapter that she says “takes care of its members and those (the club) serves.” The Louisville chapter celebrates its 100th year of service in 2024-2025, and Stokes has many exciting projects ahead for the new club year. Patricia is married to Mike Stokes and they have one son, Trevor. Trevor and his wife Christi have given Stokes two grandchildren, Lani and Ty. The Stokes often follow the grandchildren as they participate in various sports, including rodeo. Stokes is the District Manager at EMEPA, the company she’s worked with for 39 years. She began as a Customer Service Representative. Over time, Stokes proved that she was prepared to – literally – tackle any job. She was even asked to come out in the field with a line crew and observe. While she was there, they asked her to drive staples and run a hydraulic tamping tool to pack the dirt around the poles. “I hung in there with them,” recalls Stokes. Soon after, Mr. Randy Carroll came into Stokes’ office and asked her to consider her current position. Stokes was the first woman to take the District Manager position within EMEPA. Stokes is very interested in continuing the good work already in place at the Louisville Rotary Club. “Service above self” is the motto of the club and Rotary International, and Stokes said that this idea is what first interested her in Rotary. “We will continue to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.” Stokes will promote the annual projects in which Louisville Rotary participates while adding a few new programs to the already extensive list of ways Rotary can benefit the community. Stokes plans to continue its support of the Winston County/Louisville Career Tech Center. So far, the club has donated funds to assist in buying virtual reality equipment for various classroom offerings at the CTE center. Rotary also supports Workforce Development in conjunction with the Winston County Economic Development Council. A new project will be to place flags on Veterans gravesites in the month of November at Memorial Park. In addition to continuing to bring in new members, the club is sponsoring an in-club Bingo Contest meant to encourage members to bring in a diverse group of new members. The club will also participate in the annual Career Day at the coliseum for high school students and 8th grade students at the dome. They plan to adopt a child as a part of the Angel Tree project and send cards to the local nursing home. You may also be hearing members of the Rotary on our local radio station, WLSM. This project is still in the works, but looks promising to begin soon! The Rotary Club of Louisville is certainly excited about kicking off their centennial year with a combination of experienced and newer members working diligently together to make the community better and provide “service above self.”
