Noon Exchange celebrates 15th anniversary

?Noon Exchange has come a long way since they were chartered back in 1992,? said Exchange Club district director and keynote speaker Boyd Ramsey addressing the club Tuesday. ?Your club is now involved in many worthwhile activities such as supporting Kids of Community, the Christmas shopping spree for underprivileged children, and many other important community-based projects.?

The club, which meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at the TSU Nursery Research Station, has a roll of around 40 members and is headed by president Tammy Vinson. The group is part of the National Exchange Club which has as its combined goal the prevention of child abuse, sponsoring numerous child abuse prevention centers around the country.

?Over the years we?ve added many new faces as they joined our club,? Vinson said in applauding the seven charter members remaining from the original 25. ?It is what they started in 1992 which has blossomed into an organization which has become an important part of Warren County.?

Charter members include Pat and Bill Zechman, Jane Flatt, Duane Sherrill, Shirley Durham, Gail Youngblood and Sherry Clendenon.

The club was chartered on Jan. 17, 1992 with its first president being Patricia Zechman. The club was founded by McMinnville Evening Exchange members Herb and Mary Graeser.

Since its inception, the club as earned the national organization?s most prestigious award, the E.W. Sprague Award, on two occasions, for its work in the community. The club has also earned the National Service Award almost every year of its existence.