ABOVE: The Webster City Rotary Club’s satellite club, Rotary After Hours five charter members are, from the left, Kendall Doolittle, Tiffany Larson, President Gregg Olson, Darcy Swon, Charles Kenville and Alyssa Kenville. The club meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Boasting more than 20 new members after just a few months in existence, Rotary After Hours Club, continues to grow in membership.

The club is a satellite of the Webster City Rotary Club, which has long had a presence in the community.

According to Gregg Olson, chairman of the new group, the club grew out of a desire to offer an evening meeting time for Rotarians.

“We thought we weren’t reaching some of the Rotarians out there, people who couldn’t make the weekly noon meeting,” Olson said.

“We looked at farmers, teachers and others who can’t get away for a noon hour meeting,” he said, adding that the evening meeting schedule appealed to him as well.

Olson said four members of the noon club have joined the evening group and about 20 new members have joined. Kendall Doolittle, Darcy Swon, Charles and Alyssa Kenville and Tiffany Larson are the evening club’s official charter members.

The new group holds two meetings each month, one at MaidRite with a traditional business meeting format. The other meeting is a service project or visit to a local business. Last week, the group toured Maverick Machine Tool Inc.

“We’ve had great response from people,” Olson said. “It’s amazing. I haven’t had to ask people to do a program yet. They keep coming to me with ideas or wanting the club to visit a business.”

Olson said the group is still trying to find its identity. For the time being, it will continue to be a part of the larger noon club. The evening group will help with the noon club’s fundraisers and special events. Last fall, many of the members helped out with the annual Rotary Turkey Dinner and many attended the annual Leadership Banquet in November.

“We’re an extension of the noon group. But we’re also looking at branching out and doing some fundraisers ourselves as well as some service projects,” Olson said.

The transition of leadership is in place for new year beginning on July 1, Olson said with Shelby Kroona stepping into the chairman role.

“We have leaders in this group, people who are not afraid to take charge,” he said.

Olson said the demographic of the new club is trending younger.

Tiffany Larson said she joined the club due in part to the fact that her grandfather, the late Rod Larson, was a longtime Rotarian.

” I so wanted to join Rotary, but time barriers prevented me from becoming a member. When the opportunity to join Rotary After Hours presented itself I couldn’t say no. I appreciated the more feasible option, as the evening hours work for my busy schedule,” she said.

The group meeting at MaidRite on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. for a business meeting.