SWANSEA – The Rotary Club of Swansea hosted their 21st Annual “Service Above Self” 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 1, 2024, which began and ended at Wolf Branch Elementary School. Despite the light rain, more than 120 participants helped to support the Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund which benefits college scholarship programs for qualifying graduates of area high schools.
“This event is important to our club members because it honors Chad’s memory, who was an amazing young man taken from our community too soon,” said event organizer and Swansea Rotarian Charlie Pitts. “I appreciate all of our volunteers and participants who came out and helped us make this event a success.”
The news of Chad Wood’s sudden and unexpected death on Monday morning, May 9, 2005, took the breath away from all of our members. Ray Wood was the Charter President when the Rotary Club of Swansea was formed in 2002. He and his wife, Penny, had been a wonderful friend and supporter of the club. Chad was a fine student, a superb athlete who starred on the Belleville East Lancers football and baseball teams and, most important, was a devoted and loving son to his parents and a wonderful brother to his three siblings: Jennifer, Gretchen and Robert.
At its meeting on May 12, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Swansea unanimously voted to donate $1,000 to the Belleville East High School Athletic Department in Chad’s memory and approved a motion to designate our scholarship program, funded by the 5K Run each June, as the Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund. The 2024 recipients of the Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship include three Belleville East High School students: Hannah Webb, Madelyn Koch, and Ashley Tyler.
“We are proud to support outstanding students in Swansea, including those who are pursuing college through this scholarship, as well as CAVE students who are pursuing the trade industry through our annual CAVE raffle in the fall,” said Club President Ed Henrichs. “Thank you to all of our wonderful event sponsors, as featured on the back of our 5K shirts, for supporting this important program.” Donations can be made to the Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund by mailing a check to PO Box 23746, Belleville, Illinois 62223, or visiting www.swansearotary.org for online options. Please note “Chad Wood Memorial Scholarship Donation” on the payment. The “Service Above Self” 5K Run/Walk is held each year on the first Saturday of June, so mark your calendars now for next year’s event on Saturday, June 7, 2025!
