When Rickey Kreps joined the Cullman Rotary Club in 1994, he had no idea what fate awaited him. There was no real depth to the decision.

He didn't fully understand the international service club then. He figured it was a high profile local organization that meets each Thursday, eats a noon meal, swaps funny stories and shares news of community activities before listening to speakers talk about topics of timely and general interest.

He was correct, of course. All those things do happen.

It's just that now, a little more than a week after stepping down as president of the 59-member, 68-year-old club, he has such a deeper appreciation for the club, its local input and its worldwide impact.

Kreps, a Cullman native and president of Office Equipment Co. who served 11 years on the city's school board, likes to say his tenure provided an ordinary Rotarian the chance to have an extraordinary opportunity and the truth is, the club did indeed have an exceptional year under his leadership.

It earned the International President's Theme Project Award, was presented a club of distinction honor, topped the north Alabama district in giving to the Rotary Foundation, ranked first in per capita giving to the foundation, collected the district's top club service award, led all clubs in attendance percentage and gained recognition for its weekly newsletter.

It was also named the first club in Alabama Ð and only one of 695 clubs in the international membership of 32,000 clubs that represent 1.2 million Rotarians Ð to reach the 100 percent level of participation in the Paul Harris Foundation that serves as the funding arm of global projects and support efforts.

"It was a fulfilling year," Kreps admitted, simply.

That's because the club made a difference locally.

It donated books each week to area elementary libraries. It accompanied developmentally disadvantaged adults to the county fair. It picked up litter on the highways. It purchased Christmas gifts for children at Childhaven. Its members donated in excess of 120 volunteer honors to the Good Samaritan Health Clinic. It sponsored an examination room at the clinic by donating $5,000.

It provided administrative and financial support to the orphanage and hospital in Migori, Kenya and helped purchase and transport medical supplies to that area.

It provided "Service Above Self" scholarships to area high school students. It hosted the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce's Youth Leadership Class.

It offered significant financial support Ð thanks to a record $38,000 generated from its annual auction -- to projects like the Boy Scouts, Camp Mitnick, Cullman Caring for Kids, Foster Children's Christmas Fund, Tsunami relief efforts, the United Way and, of course, the Rotary Foundation, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Polio Plus program aimed at eradicating the disease worldwide.

Through its now acclaimed weekly programs, its members gathered information about local, state and regional activities and projects, using and sharing the data or taking action where necessary or practical.

As the immediate past president, Kreps lived Rotary for a year, representing Cullman at local, district and international events, touching every project, feeling the pulse of committed club members and seeing the results of their labors.

"It was a good year to be president," he said, sidestepping the importance of his weekly preparation that maintained the year-long focus. "I'm really proud to be a Rotarian and to be a member of our club."

He chooses words like enthusiastic, dedicated, hard-working and passionate in talking about members he suggests are the "upper crust" of the area. He admits there is a camaraderie and team spirit evident that evolves into a "let's get it done" attitude, an expanding reputation for performance and a growing tradition that embraces the club's "Service Above Self" motto.

Kreps' adds the overall vision is clearer now that he's had the same experiences that changed other presidents before him.

"I knew what we were doing in Cullman" he explained, "but I had no idea what real impact Rotary truly had internationally. Until you sit next to a fellow Rotarian from Iran or Japan, you can't grasp the incredible fellowship or avenues for service. Until you meet a fellow Rotarian from the Philippines who tells you his club purchased a cow for a village, then beams at the difference that cow has had on the village's quality of life, you can't understand what good is being done every day."

It's a feeling that deepens his own commitment, that erases forever the vision of a stuff-shirted weekly knife-and-fork only experience and that makes him an even stronger ambassador for the club.

Now, the gavel of leadership shifts to Charles NeSmith, recently named president of Merchants Bank. He's been exposed to many of the same insider views. He inherits the same eager membership that seeks to do good work. He seeks the same impact.

It's the annual rotation that keeps Rotary strong, that makes "Service Above Self" a living creed instead of a catchy motto. And for all the right reasons, it's the conduit through which men and women who are capable of making a positive difference, do just that.



ä Ed Darling is the publisher of The Cullman Times. His column appears on Sundays.