At 37 years old, Chad King, president-elect for the Overland Park Rotary Club, will be the youngest incoming president in the club’s history. His one-year term will begin July 1. King, who is Jewish, has been a member of the Overland Park Rotary Club for nine years and is a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow award, the club’s most coveted honor.
King is at least the fifth Jewish person to serve as president of the Overland Park Rotary Club. Previous Jewish presidents include Jeff Goodman, Melynn Sight, Mary Cohen and Art Ruben.
King has been extremely active in the club, serving as secretary and vice president, and currently president elect. He also serves on the Overland Park Rotary Club Foundation Board and on the Star Spangled Spectacular Board.
King is an independent contractor of a Farmers Insurance Group in Overland Park. He said as a small business owner, he doesn’t have the time or the money to do the things that Rotary can do on a regional or international basis.
“Rotary is an awesome way to do a lot, to be part of something bigger. Our club has helped support a library in Cambodia and a school in Mali; we’re in the process now of building a water project for a village in Tibet. These are amazing, wonderful things that I can’t do on my own and we get to change the world in that way,” he said.
King said Rotary took on the challenge to end polio 20-some years ago when polio was active in 40 to 50 countries. Now, only 1 percent of the population of the world is at risk of contracting polio.
On a local level, in addition to supporting Safehome, Hillcrest Transitional Housing, Deanna Rose Farmstead, and countless other organizations, Overland Park Rotary Club is responsible for the Star Spangled Spectacular — the fireworks display at Corporate Woods during the 4th of July.
“The city provides the fireworks and Corporate Woods is a partner for the space,” King said. “We sell to the vendors and our club members are out there selling soda and beer the day of [the display].”
Rotary raises corporate sponsorships to put the fireworks display together. Each year, the event raises funds for deserving local charities in the Kansas City area. The proceeds go to the Overland Park Rotary Club Foundation Board, which gives the money to charities that support Rotary’s mission. This year, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, Ozanam and the Rotary Youth Leadership Institute will be receiving donations from the event.
“We give them (charities) a sizeable five-figure check,” King said.
King’s goals as incoming president of the Overland Park Rotary Club are to engage the members to get and give more out of their membership as well as connecting and engaging with other Rotarians in the district.
King and his wife Amanda Morgan King, who is a member of the Jewish Federation board, and their 10-year-old daughter Susanna are members of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and live in Overland Park.
For more information about the Overland Park Rotary Club, go to OPRotary.org.
