Jim Thorpe’s Rotary Club has evolved in many ways over the past two decades, but one of the most consistent faces in the community service organization has been that of Jeanne Miller.

The Penn Forest Township resident got her start in Rotary when working as a family center director in Grantville, Maryland.

“I joined the Grantville Rotary in the late 1990s and I was the first female member,” Miller recalled. “When we moved to Jim Thorpe in 1999, I was introduced to the local Rotary here and haven’t looked back.”

Reflecting on the Rotary’s legacy in Jim Thorpe, Miller said it’s fascinating to see the evolution of initiatives and services that have made a significant impact on the community.

One of the Rotary’s standout programs is the 27-year-old “Summer Recreation Program” initiated by Randy Smith to provide free care and recreation opportunities for children during the summer months.

“It’s at no cost to families, which is really unheard of,” Miller said. “Randy (Smith) saw a need for children to have a safe place to go in the summer and that is the kind of problem solving that the Rotary is really known for.”

Another major accomplishment highlighted by Miller is the recent establishment of a licensed Early Childhood Education Center in Jim Thorpe. The project stemmed from a community needs assessment, showcasing the Rotary’s commitment to addressing gaps in childcare services.

Lehigh Valley Children’s Center at St. Joseph Regional Academy opened enrollment earlier this year.

“Rotary members were the catalyst,” Miller said. “We did the needs assessment, prioritized the need for preschool, and it came to fruition, helping working families. Many people wanted to work but they could not find a quality, safe, and affordable place for child care. This was big for our community.”

Like all volunteer organizations, the Rotary faces a set of daunting challenges, such as an aging demographic and the need for fresh energy.

“Who is going to take their place?” Miller said of the current members. “That worries me.”

Despite this concern, Miller acknowledged the Rotary’s efforts to adapt to changing times, offering flexibility in meeting formats and cost to attract new members.

“In the past, we were all about attendance, but now it’s more about projects,” Miller said. “We used to meet every week, but now we meet virtually on the first Tuesday and in person two other times per month, but you can still join virtually for one of the in-person meetings.”

Rotary members were also previously required to pay for a meal, around $15 to $20, for each meeting. With meetings now in the Jim Thorpe High School, however, the Nutrition Group provides a light meal, which members have an option on whether or not they want to accept.

“You put in a couple bucks if you want to and if you don’t want to eat, that’s fine,” Miller said. “For young families, I think the flexibility and the cost is a big deal.”

Changing meeting structure isn’t the only way the Rotary has adapted over the last 100 years, Miller said. The group’s projects are also evolving. Donating dictionaries to schools was once a Rotary staple, but the ability for students to look up definitions with a simple Google search has eradicated that need.

“Instead of the dictionaries, we started giving grants to teachers so they could use the money for materials they need, whether it be things to support a STEM education or whatever the case may be,” Miller said.

Miller said the club continues to discuss new initiatives and potential future projects, all of which she hopes to play a key role in for years to come.

“I try to do something that I hope makes a little bit of difference in my small piece of the world,” she said. “That’s just a good feeling.”