District 6780 - Committees Reporting to the District Governor

PRIP James L. Bomar. Jr.

The James L. Bomar, Jr.,
Rotary Interact Scholarship Foundation, Inc.,
is named for Shelbyville Rotarian and
past president of Rotary International,
James L. Bomar, Jr.

The Bomar Rotary Interact Scholarship Foundation is:

A legally separate entity of District 6780 chartered by the State of Tennessee as a not-for-profit corporation.
An organization whose membership consists of the president of each Rotary club in District 6780 and other individuals as described in the by-laws of the Foundation.
Governed by a five-member board of directors. The membership, at an annual meeting (usually at the district conference), elects one member of serve for three years and fills any unexpired terms.

The members of the 2009-2010 board of directors (and the year their terms expire) are:

Karen Wentz, PDG, Chair, Maryville (2010)
Art Pickle, PDG, West Knoxville (2011)
Jack Richard, PDG, Tellico Lake (2012)
Carol LaRue, PDG, Maryville, ex officio
Carol Foster, DG, Fayettevill, ex officio

Supported by the District Secretary and Treasurer as prescribed in the District 6780 Rules of Procedures.

David Carroll, District Secretary, Cleveland (ROP Section 2.5.1.m)
Jerry V. Adams, District Treasurer, Chattanooga (ROP Section 2.6)

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Purpose

The purpose of this foundation is to annually recognize outstanding and worthy Interact members in District 6780 with a scholarship award of a minimum of $1,000 each.

To date, we are awarding three $1,250 scholarships annually.
By receiving increased contributions, we plan to award more and larger scholarships each year.

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History

The Bomar Interact Foundation (BIF) was created to recognize the outstanding leadership to Rotary International of Past Rotary International President James L. Bomar, Jr. of District 6780.

James L. Bomar, Jr. was:

President of the Rotary Club of Shelbyville, 1967-68
District governor, 1969-70
RI director, 1974-75
RI third vice president,1975-76
Chair 1977 RI Council on Legislation
RI president, 1979-80
Rotary Foundation Trustee, 1980-86

Jim was a native and lifelong resident of Bedford County, Tenn. He served in the US Navy during World War II. He was accepted as an active member of the Rotary Club of Shelbyville in January 1941. He held the active classification of Law, General before becoming senior active.

Jim began practicing law in Shelbyville in 1940. Between 1947 and 1965, he served in the Tennessee State Legislature. During his term as club President, Jim helped organize the district's first Interact Club at Shelbyville Central High School. As District Governor, his energetic leadership resulted in the chartering of 18 new Interact clubs for a total of 21 – the largest number in any Rotary district in the Rotary world at that time.

One of the most memorable events associated with Jim's service to Rotary occurred in the Philippines while carrying out Rotary's 75th Anniversary 3-H Program to immunize the children there against polio.

While at one of the project sites, Jim observed the children already afflicted with polio, who crawled spider-like along the ground, unable to stand on their weakened limbs. As he administered those magic drops to a small baby he held in his arms, Jim felt a tug on his trouser leg. Looking down, he saw one of the crawlers – a smiling boy who pointed to the child in his arms. "Thank you, Rotary," the boy said, "that's my sister."

The immunization project in the Philippines was the forerunner of Rotary's worldwide Polio Plus program whose initial goal was to immunize all the children in the world by the year 2005 - the 100th anniversary of Rotary.

After his year as RI President, the Rotary Club of Shelbyville initiated a proposal to District 6780 that resulted in the district sponsored "James L. Bomar, Jr. Rotary Interact Scholarship Award," followed in 1989 by the formation of the "James L. Bomar, Jr. Rotary Interact Scholarship Foundation, Inc."

These two programs were created to recognize and honor Jim for his vast contributions to Rotary.

James Lafayette Bomar, Jr. died on June 25, 2001 after an extended illness.

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Donations

Donations are received from all available sources, primarily from Rotary clubs and individuals in District 6780. Donations can be designated "In memory of," "In honor of," etc.

The Bomar Rotary Interact Scholarship Foundation has tax-exempt status under IRS Section 501(c)(3); therefore, donations are charitable gifts for income tax purposes.

Earnings from the corpus are used to fund James L. Bomar, Jr., Interact Scholarships awarded annually by District 6780. (ROP Sections 7 and 11.)

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How to contribute to the Bomar Interact Foundation

There are many ways to contribute to the BIF:

Make contributions in memory of a deceased Rotarian from your club or another club.
Make contributions in memory of a deceased friend or community leader.
Make contributions in honor of a person who has performed extraordinary service to your Rotary club, to our District, to their community, etc.
Make contributions to honor milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Establish club budgeted yearly contributions.
Download, complete, and mail, with your contribution, the Donor Form.

Donations can be sent to:

Bomar Rotary Interact Scholarship Foundation

c/o Jerry V. Adams, Treasurer

Suite 1100, Tallan Building

Two Union Square

Chattanooga, TN 37402

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Scholarships

Click the underlined link for information about the Bomar Interact Scholarship Committee.
Click here to reach a link to download a copy of the scholarship application form.

Click the underlined link for information about the Fred Brown Interact Award of Merit.
Click here to reach a link to download a copy of the scholarship application form.

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