Press release:
Gretchen Hawley was inducted into membership of the Batavia Rotary Club this month and continues a long-standing family tree that stretches back to the club's founding.
Her great-grandfather, Warren W. Hawley Jr., was one of the club's charter members in 1919 and served as club president in 1924. He was also honored for 60 years of perfect attendance in 1979.
Next in line is her grandfather, R. Stephen Hawley, who was club president in 1966, then her father, Theodore P. Hawley, who was club president in 2009.
Other relatives who have been Batavia Rotarians include Warren W. Hawley III, her great-uncle, and Stephen M. Hawley, her uncle.
Gretchen is a native Batavian who has recently returned to the community. She is a physical therapist and specializes in working with multiple sclerosis patients through her business called the MSing Link.
"I grew up watching my dad and grandpa be part of Rotary, so I knew that once I was in a position to volunteer, I'd want to do it with Rotary," she said.
Rotary International is a volunteer-driven organization whose motto is "Service Above Self."
Locally, the Batavia club makes multiple contributions to the community, such as $18,000 in college scholarships to area students each year, said President John McGowan.
Rotary is also contributing $250,000 toward the Healthy Living Campus under construction on Main Street, a joint project for the YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center.
Most recently, Rotary has offered a $150,000 matching pledge for the renovation of the local hospital's Intensive Care Unit, McGowan said.
For more information about Batavia Rotary, go to www.bataviarotary.com.
