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RAYNE - The Rotary Club of Rayne was recognized for its support of the Rotary Foundation and more during the Nov. 14 meeting.
Rotarians also heard and entertaining presentation from a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer.
For the seventh consecutive year, the local club was honored as a recipient of the Rotary Citation (previously known as the Presidential Citation) for supporting Rotary’s strategic priorities and helping Rotary be the inspiration in the lives of people all over the world during the 2018-2019 year.
This year the Rayne Rotary was additionally honored as one of only six clubs in District 62000 to achieve the Rotary Citation with Gold Distinction for accomplishing several additional goals of Rotary.
Other clubs receiving this designation included Abbeville, Baker Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Capital City and Sulphur.
Immediate past president Jimmy Fontenot thanked all the members of the club for their outstanding record of volunteerism and support of Rotary during the past year. “We would not have achieved this honor without all of you,” he said.
The Rotary Club of Rayne was also one of only 3,400 clubs worldwide to attain status as an Every Rotarian, Every Year Club and one of only 4,000 clubs worldwide to become a 100 Percent Foundation Giving Club in support of the members’ support of the Rotary Foundation.
Guest speaker for the meeting was Kaylon Emeary, who had just two weeks earlier returned from nearly two years of volunteerism with the Peace Corps in Domincan Republic.
Emeary explained that she spent the majority of her time in the Province of Samana, a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic known for the mountains of which it is almost entirely formed.
In a spirited interactive presentation, Emeary led Rotarians through her adventures and experiences with the Peace Corps, including local dialect and living conditions.
While Emeary was in the Dominican Republic, the Rayne High School Interact Club staged a school supply drive, collecting boxes full of good that the Rotary Club had shipped to her school there.
Emeary’s mother, Tonya Craddock, accompanied her to the Rotary Club meeting and related some of her experiences during a week-long visit there.
Emeary and Craddock live in Lafayette.

Voters across Acadia Parish went to the polls Saturday where they faced a short, but important ballot.
Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, held onto his seat after a tough challenge from his Republican opponent, Eddie Riponse, a wealthy businessman and political newcomer who was supported by President Trump.
Edwards slimly defeated Rispone by approximately 40,000 votes with 50.7 percent of Louisiana’s voters casting ballots (774,469 to 734,128).
The incumbent was returned to office with high voter turnout in the state’s urban areas, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. Rispone gathered most of the state’s rural parishes and areas.
When looking at local voters, Rispone carried Acadia Parish with over 70 percent of the votes (14,189 to 5,555).
Edwards still remains the only Democratic governor in the Deep South, but not a typical Democrat. Edwards is a pro-Second Amendment gun owner who recently signed one of the country’s strictest anti-abortion bills only months ago.
In the other only state-wide race was for Secretary of State. Republican Kyle Ardoin was elected to his first full term. He has held the seat since winning a special election last year when former Secretary of State Tom Schedler resigned.
Ardoin defeated Democratic challenger Gwen Collins-Greenup 867,449 (59%) to 601,102 (41%).
Turnout state-wide was at 49.4 percent, while Acadia Parish followed suit at 49.7 percent.
Ardoin carried a large percent with Acadia Parish voters with 15,179 votes (79.4%) to 3,935 votes for Collins-Greenup (20.6%).
Renewals for three parish Fire Protection Districts were decided by voters in those areas.
Voters in Acadia Parish approved renewal of a 10-mill property tax for Fire Protection District No. 9 by a vote of 2,359 to 921, while voters in the Branch area okayed renewal an 8.01-mill tax for fire protection by a vote of 564 to 186.
“On behalf of the Rayne Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Protection District No. 9, I would like to thank the voters for renewing the property tax,” stated Rayne Fire Chief Allen “Noochie” Credeur. “This will ensure continuous fire protection for homeowners in this portion of the parish.”
Continuing with parish elections, voters in the Church Point area voted down a proposed $25 parcel fee to fund Fire Protection District No. 10 by a vote of 1,034 against to 948 for.
In the Iota-Lyons Point area, a 5-mill renew was approved by a vote of 832 to 354 to fund drainage work there.
A number of tax proposals were decided, including four millage renewals overwhelmingly approved by Crowley voters.
• Proposition 1 - 5-mill renewal for salaries of police and fire personnel: Yes 2,456 (69.1 percent); No 1,097 (30.9 percent).
• Proposition 2 - 5-mill renewal for street maintenance: Yes 2,392 (67.8 percent); 1,138 (32.2 percent).
• Proposition 3 - 5-mill renewal for public buildings and drainage maintenance: 2,383 (67.8 percent); No 1,133 (32.2 percent).
• Proposition 4 - 0.75-mill renewal for cemetery maintenance: Yes 2,334 (66.4 percent); 1,181 (33.6 percent).