Sterling Ruritan History

The Sterling Club has served the community by providing those services needed by the community, and especially services needed by the youth of our area. This was our goal in the 1950s and continues to be our goal.

The most important accomplishment is the Club’s ability to attract and keep membership that commits itself to providing for the needs of our community.

Second must be the Charter Members knowledge that to support the community, the community must have a place in which to meet. This task was accomplished in 1956 when the Club purchased the building known as Bowman’s Tavern at a cost of $8,000. The first meeting was held in our clubhouse in February 1959 and in 1963 ground was broken for the 36 x 80’ building addition.

The cost of this addition was estimated at $17,000 and was scheduled to be completed by November 23, 1963. Before the County could provide a community center, the Sterling Ruritan Club provided their building to the community. Until 1966 the Club provided free use of our facility, in 1966 the cost was set at $50 dollars to rent and $10 for clean up. The Club has continually improved its facility and though higher than the 1966 rates, rates charged today for use of our facility are kept at a minimum.

The Club then, as we do today, financed the procurement of our building through fund raising efforts. In the past we have had dances, raffles, benefit dinners, turkey shoots, and the Salvation Army kettle bell ringing. Today we use such fund raisers as Bingo, trailer food sales, and club rentals.

We welcome you to hear from one of our Ruritan Forever Members, Tom Hummer and his story of growing up in the Sterling community

Ruritans Through The Years

From the past 74 years

It’s hard to believe that the Sterling Ruritan Club is only seventy four years young. In these years the Sterling Club has served the community by providing those services needed by the community, and especially services needed by the youth of our area. This was our goal in the 1950s and continues to be our goal today.

The most important accomplishment is the Club’s ability to attract and keep membership that commits itself to providing for the needs of our community.

Second must be the Charter Members knowledge that to support the community the community must have a place in which to meet. This task was accomplished in 1956 when the Club purchased the building known as Bowman’s Tavern at a cost of $8000.

The first meeting was held in our clubhouse in February 1959 and in 1963 ground was broken for the 36 x 80’ building addition. The cost of this addition was estimated at $17,000 and was scheduled to be completed by November 23, 1963. Before the County
could provide a community center, the Sterling Ruritan Club provided their building to the community. Until 1966 the Club provided free use of our facility, in 1966 the cost was set at $50 dollars to rent and $10 for clean up. The Club has continually improved its facility and though higher than the 1966 rates, rates charged today for use of our facility are kept at a minimum.

The Club then, as we do today, financed the procurement of our building through fund raising efforts. In the past we have had dances, raffles, benefit dinners, turkey shoots, and the Salvation Army kettle bell ringing. Today we use such fundraisers as Bingo,
trailer food sales, and club rentals.

What about service to our youth? In 1953 the Club voted to award a $25 dollar war bond to the outstanding student from the local school. Since then the Club has continued its commitment by continuing the outstanding student awards. Because of the growth in our area the number of schools participating have increased significantly and funding for this effort currently exceeds $15,000 per year.

In the 1950s the Club erected an outdoor basketball court at the local school, furnished books for the library and installed lighting in the school parking lot. In the 1960s we donated money to buy needy students books, supported building of a new school for the
cited Broyhill development, supported the religious program in school and helped start the Broad Run High School Booster Fund.

The Club also has continuously supported youth sports organizations and the Boy and Girl Scout programs. We continue to support our schools by allowing them to use our facilities for their fundraising efforts, we provide needed monetary donations to support programs like Project Graduation, Breakfast with Santa as well as other events at each of our three supported high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.

The Club worked with the County Court System in 1952 by obtaining temporary custody of six children left homeless and parentless by the destruction of their home by fire. We
worked with the same court system in 1990 to become an approved organization where kids sentenced to hours of community service could work those hours off under our
supervision. The Club continues to support individuals and organizations that provide the community with help with medical expenses, utility bills, food donations, clothing, and any other issues brought to our attention.

In the 1950s we worked with the county to relieve the cause of flooding on Route 614 at Stallion Creek, provided street lights for the town of Sterling, opposed an ordinance that required two acres to build a home and in the 1960s we sponsored the new water line to be installed in Sterling and endorsed actions regarding the Seneca Dam. We continue to work on issues of affordable housing, landfill problems, and support of the W&OD bike path.

Attached is a listing of the many accomplishments completed by the Club during the sixty years. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of our Club’s history, but a tool that should give you, the member, a sense of the kinds of services
provided by our Club and how these service needs have changed as the community has grown.

2000-2004

2004: Hosted Outstanding Student Awards and Dinner.
Donated to Loudoun Girls Softball, Prevent Eviction of single parent, Free use of clubhouse for American Legion Post, Hunters for the Hungry, Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter,
Loudoun Good Shepherd Alliance Shelter, VFW Aux Big Friends Party, Recognition of volunteer fire and rescue high school students, Flowers for Sterling Veterans Memorial,

LINK and Loudoun Community Coalition, Sponsored a boy and girl to attend American Legion Boys’ and Girls’ State,
Sponsored and donations to Boy Scout Troop 966, Loudoun County Girls Scouts, VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary, American Legion Post 150, three Park View High School Civics Organizations/Projects , Park View High School Recycling Project, Ruritan Club Recycling container, Park View High School Environmental Essay Contest, Sterling Middle School Environmental Essay Contest.

Donated and installed flagpole at Claude Moore Park

The Club provided manpower for Ladies Board of Loudoun Hospital Rummage sale.

2003: Hosted Outstanding Student Awards and Dinner.

Donated to Cub Scout Pack 966 for Blue and Gold Banquet, Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter, Park View HS and Potomac Falls HS for project graduation, Kids R First.
Donation of $500 each to Sterling Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Pack 966 for Freedom Foundation Work Weekend at Valley Forge, VFW Ladies Auxiliary Big Friends Christmas Party, LINK for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Club allotted $200 for purchase of Rudy Bears and food for the food bank.

Club paid $1,981.85 for oil tank removal.

Loudoun County removes the right for the Club to store cars for Sterling Chevrolet.

Establishment of a Ruritan Foundation Fund for Marge Sprock.

The Club assisted the Ladies Board of Loudoun Hospital Center with their 65th Annual Hospital Rummage Sale.

2002: Hosted Outstanding Student Awards and Dinner. Donated $350 for a pinewood derby track.
Donation to Ashburn Ruritan, Sponsor Girls softball team, Park View and Potomac Falls High Schools project graduation, Troop 977 Medal of Honor Program, Kids R First donation, Sterling Park Volunteer Fire Department, Sterling Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, National Crime Prevention Council Trick or Treat Bags for SterlingFest.

The Loudoun County Health Department requires the Club to have its drinking water sampled once a month because of our use of a well.An old fuel tank is removed from the Club’s property. Problems occurred due to leaks. The Club is ordered to bring our property into environmental compliance and petroleum recovery and remediation management is required. Estimates to clean up the problem exceed $20,000.

2001: Hosted Outstanding Student Awards and Dinner
Donated to D-Day Memorial, Flag Pole and plaque for Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, Freedoms Foundation, Boy Scout Troop 966 sponsorship, Boy Scout Troop 966 donations for training, Sterling Ruritan National Fund donations, Lower Loudoun Boys Football Teams (2) sponsorship, Future Educators of America, Lanesville Heritage Society, SUMC Donation for Church Mission to Juarez, Mexico, Lower Loudoun Little League, Boy Scout Jamboree Troop, Shooting Stars Girls Softball Team, Two Area High School Project Graduation Donations, Sterling Youth Soccer Association,
Fraternal Order of Police, church school bus, Kids R First Program, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, VFW Ladies Auxillary, Loudoun County Special Olympics, Park View High School Band Aides, McGruff Trick or Treat Bags, Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad, Sterling Volunteer Fire Department,
LARC (Leesburg), Plaques for Fire and Rescue Youth Volunteers, Loudoun Hospice, Hunters for the Hungry, Community Bank Trust Fund for Cancer Victim, Loudoun County Abused Women’s Shelter.

Prepared and gave out Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets.
Paid the electric bill for a needy family and made donations to other needy families.
The Club worked with: Salvation Army Volunteer Recognition Dinner, Clean up of Sterling Recycling Center, Manned Sterling Recycling Center, Sterling Foundation Clean up,
Clean up of bike path (Ruritan Road), Keep Loudoun Beautiful
Clean up of Lanesville Heritage Area, Claude Moore Park
The Club held the family picnic and Christmas parties.