By Cindy Peterson
Leesburg Rotary Club Sends Capsule to the Moon
The Leesburg Noon Rotary Club can safely say they will be the first Rotary Club on the moon. On Wednesday, the club met at the Venetian Center to celebrate the rocket launch containing their capsule, which launched earlier that morning in New Mexico.
“We are putting Rotary on the moon,” event organizer David Van De Velde says. “This is a great accomplishment for our Rotary club. We’ve been working on this project for more than four years.”
The capsule will contain information and photos on an sd card, which will be left on the moon for future generations.
“It is leaving our legacy,” David says. “We have a photo of our club, a photo and information for our new Rotary International president and her story. We also have a Rotary magazine, stories and other photos going.”
The initiative began with an anti-bullying campaign at Leesburg High School, where students were invited to sign an anti-bullying agreement and in exchange, their photo or a photo of their family would be sent in a capsule to the moon.
“This is something no other city or school has done,” David says. “Congressman Daniel Webster is coming to read a proclamation to our group too.”
This isn’t the first rocket launch for Leesburg, and it won’t be the last. David says they are already working on another launch in February and July.
Originally from the small town of Berryville, Arkansas, Cindy has become a multimedia specialist in journalism, photography, videography, and video editing. She has a B.S. in Communications from the University of Central Arkansas and produces Style Magazine's Sports Hub Podcast and the Healthy Living Podcast. She also produces for Beacon College’s Telly Award-winning PBS show, “A World of Difference.” When she isn’t working, Cindy loves traveling the National Parks with her husband , Ryan, and son, David, photographing wildlife.
