New Hope Ruritan Club History

The New Hope Ruritan Club was chartered on April 11, 1939, with 30 members. It received charter #75 and the second in the Woodrow Wilson District.

Among the first community service activities:

  • Help sponsor a community Bible School

  • Provide a community Christmas tree

  • Help purchase a piano for New Hope School

The club was instrumental in getting streetlights installed in New Hope in 1949. It has sponsored Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Cub Scouts in the past.

Early in 1952 a lot was purchased on which to build a medical center. Ground was broken March 28 with dedication August 11 and the new doctor moving in the following week.

The club organized a Little League Ball Team in 1960 which became a Babe Ruth Team in 1968. Over the years lights, a concession stand, upgrades to the field plus a second field are among the additions and improvements.

With a long time concern for the environment the club has done roadside litter pick-ups and operated the New Hope Solid Waste Collection site for Augusta County from 1989 to 2022.

Following the closing of the New Hope Elementary School in 1995, a 50-year lease agreement was entered into with Augusta County in 1997 to operate the facility as a community center. During the decade of the 2000s much effort went into renovating and remodeling of the “B’ building. It was ready for occupancy at the beginning of 2009. Operation of the concession stand was turned over to the New Hope Weyers Cave Youth Sports Association in 2010.

During the past 15 years several improvements and renovations have been and are being made to the “A” building. This building is over 100 years old, having been originally constructed as a high school. Today, the New Hope Community Center is being used for a variety of activities.

Ruritan - Service Above Self

The New Hope Ruritans are a civic organization that works to improve our community through Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service. We also manage the New Hope Ruritan Community Center where you can rent the gym, banquet hall/commercial kitchen, and party room.

The New Hope Ruritans meet the first Thursday of every month at the New Hope Ruritan Community Center. We hold informative and educational monthly meetings that give Ruritan members an opportunity to share ideas about community improvements and service projects. Club meetings feature a fellowship meal, a club business session and an educational or entertaining program. Most meetings last less than two hours.

We are composed of concerned citizens who represent a cross section of the community that we serve. Men and women of all ages, professions, and ethnic backgrounds enjoy New Hope Ruritan membership.

The Ruritan Mission: Ruritan is dedicated to improving communities and building a better America through Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service. Club membership is available to all people interested in their community. Unlike most service organizations, Ruritan has no national project or program; instead, each club surveys the needs of its own community and then works to meet those needs.

A few of the many projects and organizations supported by the New Hope Ruritans:

  • Food Bank and Food Pantry

  • New Hope Fire Department

  • Grottoes Rescue Squad

  • Grottoes Fire Department

  • Augusta Country Sheriff’s Office Child Safety Council

  • Wounded Warrior

  • Roadside Clean Up

  • National D-Day Memorial

  • Maintain New Hope Ruritan Community Center

  • Valley Mission

  • Hunters for the Hungry

  • Foster Love Ministries

  • New Directions Center

  • Yellow Door Foundation

  • Bethany UMC Food Pantry

  • 4H-FFA Market Animal Show

  • Scholarships for local students

  • Augusta County Fair

  • Samaritans Purse

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