It was a very special day at the Exchange meeting on Friday as the Exchange Club of Rome celebrated the 83rd anniversary of the chartering of the club by the National Exchange Club.

What started with 25 prominent citizens of Rome on July 9, 1936, has grown to 210 members and is the second largest Exchange Club in the United States. The Club is consistently recognized by the National Exchange Club for its award-winning programs of service in Rome and Floyd County.

Exchange is America’s Service Club whose members work within three Programs of Service, Americanism, Community Service, and Youth and the National Program Child Abuse Prevention.

Locally, the Exchange Club of Rome annually presents the Coosa Valley Fair in October, which is the Club’s largest fundraising event that supports its Programs of Service. The Club founded the Exchange Club Family Resource Center in Rome over 27 years ago. The FRC is the Club’s Child Abuse Prevention Center. It is the only National Exchange accredited Child Abuse Prevention Center in Georgia with 8 Parent Aides that work with client families in their homes to help remove obstacles that may cause child abuse.

The Club meets on Fridays at noon in the Palladium on the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds.

(Doing the honor of cutting the birthday cake are Larry Walker, President-Elect of the Exchange Club of Rome, and Mike Elliott President of the Georgia District Exchange Clubs)