Perfect attendance

Editor’s note: The “Meet the” series profiles the people behind groups, organizations and businesses in the community.

Staff writer

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Leroy Thomas has been a part of the Portales Rotary Club for the past 43 years and in that time he has never missed a meeting.

Thomas said perfect attendance is encouraged at the meetings, but it is not hard for him to not miss one. With his son and son-in-law also in Rotary, the meetings are like a family affair.

link Lillian Bowe: Staff photo

Randy Rankin, director of the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, looks through the home’s newsletters that are given to churches across the state. Rankin joined the Portales Rotary Club because he wanted to give back the community that has supported the children’s home.

Today, Thomas will get a pin for his perfect attendance of 43 years at the club’s Paul Harris Gala.

Rotary Club is a service organization that helps the community of Portales by holding different activities throughout the year.

Thomas said there are many projects the club does such as feeding all the vendors and people who come to the annual New Mexico Ag Expo, donating money to the Christian Children’s Home and the Baptist Children’s Home, sending two high school students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp.

Thomas said they also maintain Rotary Park and refurbished the baseball fields to be regulation size.

Thomas’ personal favorite projects deal with children. He loves to see the club making a difference in the lives of children. Every year the club serves meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas at the children’s home and donates money.

Next Saturday, the club will be taking the children of the two children’s homes to Casteland in Clovis.

“It is so much fun to see the kids enjoying themselves,” Thomas said.

Thomas said Rotary is also about fellowship with the club members and being a team.

“We show dignity to every individual in the club and fellowship between the members is important to us,” said Thomas about the 31 members of Rotary.

Randy Rankin, director of the Baptist Children’s Home, enjoys the fellowship and joined the Portales Rotary club 20 years ago because he wanted to give back to the community.

“The community has been so supportive of the home and I wanted to give back to them,” Rankin said.

Rankin will be president of Rotary in July and this will be his second time being president. Rankin said he enjoys his time at the club helping the projects they do every year.

Rankin said most of the members are heads of business, either being directors, managers or business owners.

“We always have a good time together and we try to help the community as much as we can,” Rankin said.