ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Twenty-one young professionals on the Alabama Gulf Coast have become the founding members of the YoPros Rotary club, a new club built for busy adults ages 21 to 45 who want to serve their community without the weekly-meeting commitment that has long defined Rotary membership.
Rotary District 6880 launched the club, which is sponsored by the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach Rotary Club and is described by its founders as a first-of-its-kind model. The 21 inaugural members were officially inducted Tuesday, Sept. 29, during a ceremony in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area.
A Rotary club built around modern schedules
YoPros was created by Penny Hughey, the Lower Alabama Rotary District 6880 governor nominee, who designed it to remove the barriers that often keep younger adults from joining traditional Rotary clubs.
The differences are practical:
- Dues: Members pay $25 per month, with an automatic payment option available.
- Meetings: Members meet in person once a month instead of weekly.
- Staying connected: Between meetings, members keep in touch through a texting platform.
- Status: Despite the lighter structure, members hold full Rotary status and receive the same benefits as traditional Rotarians.
Many traditional Rotary clubs meet weekly, often over breakfast or lunch, a schedule that can be difficult for people who are early in their careers, working shifts in the hospitality and tourism industries that drive the coastal economy, or raising young children. A monthly meeting paired with a group text keeps members connected while leaving room for work and family.
Answering a membership challenge
Hughey said she had heard concerns for years about declining Rotary membership as longtime members age and fewer young professionals join traditional clubs. Rather than simply point out the problem, she built a new model around the schedules and realities of today’s younger generation.
“Traditions are great, but you also need to adapt and change with the times if you want your organization to continue to grow,” Hughey said. “We need young professionals at the table now, not 20 years from now, if we want Rotary’s incredible legacy of service to continue for another 121 years.”
Hughey has a track record on membership. A former president of the Rotary Club of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, she previously served as the club’s membership director, a period during which the club saw a fourfold increase in membership, according to district announcements. She was named the club’s Rotarian of the Year in 2023, was appointed assistant district governor for Area 11 in 2025, and was unanimously elected district governor nominee at District 6880’s annual conference in Opelika over Memorial Day weekend in 2025. She is director of community development at Lee Charities Inc.
‘Our job is to build a door they can walk through’
Steve Weaver, governor of Rotary District 6880, said the new club reflects a theme he has carried throughout his year leading the district.
“In every club visit this year, I’ve talked about opening new doors to Rotary, because the people who want to serve are already out there. Our job is to build a door they can walk through,” Weaver said. “YoPros is exactly that kind of door. Rotary does too much good in our communities and around the world for us not to plan for its future. Penny and these 21 young professionals aren’t waiting for that future. They’re building it now, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
District 6880 includes 46 Rotary clubs stretching from the Montgomery metropolitan area to the Alabama Gulf Coast, with nearly 1,800 Rotarians, according to the district.
Service projects already underway
The new members are not waiting long to get to work. The 21 founding members have already volunteered to support fundraising events for two local organizations in the coming weeks, and the group is developing additional hands-on service projects across the community.
The club, known locally as GS/OB YoPros, is also working on a Rotary Global Grant project that could benefit the area’s tourism economy, the environment, the fishing and diving industries, and storm-surge protection. Rotary Global Grants are funded through The Rotary Foundation and support larger, sustainable international and community projects carried out in partnership between clubs, typically within Rotary’s established areas of focus such as protecting the environment and growing local economies.
A blueprint for other clubs
The founders see YoPros as more than a single club in Baldwin County. The group has created a blueprint that other Rotary clubs can follow, with the goal of launching additional YoPros clubs throughout District 6880’s Lower Alabama region and, eventually, across the United States.
“This isn’t simply about starting one new Rotary club,” Hughey said. “It’s about creating a model that can be replicated and giving the next generation an opportunity to become part of an organization that has been serving communities for more than a century.”
Sponsoring clubs play an important role in that model. As the sponsor, the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach Rotary Club provides an established base of experienced Rotarians and community connections that a new club can draw on as it gets its own projects off the ground.
More than a century of ‘Service Above Self’
Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905 and has spent 121 years bringing together community and business leaders under the principle of “Service Above Self.” The organization now counts more than 1 million members worldwide, working on initiatives that range from eradicating polio and providing clean water to supporting education, health and economic development.
Locally, Rotary clubs in Baldwin County have long supported scholarships, youth programs, community fundraisers and service projects. YoPros adds a new entry point for residents who may have admired that work but could not fit a weekly meeting into their calendars.
Meet the founding members
The founding members of GS/OB YoPros are:
- JP Midkiff, chairman
- Samantha Harris, secretary and chair-elect
- Candice Martinez, treasurer and chair nominee
- Amanda Jeppson, public relations and social media
- Tara Fitzsimmons, membership chair
- Capt. Ty Flemming, leadership team member
- Raphael Martinez, leadership team member
- Aaron Jackson
- Adam Creasey
- Alicia Watts
- Amanda Creasey
- Amy Crawford
- Chance Mancuso
- Christopher Dickhute
- Cole Walker
- David Hancox
- Dylan Roeck
- Emily Freeman
- Jared Herrell
- Shelby Mancuso
- Tyler Morgan
How to get involved
Young professionals ages 21 to 45 in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area who are interested in joining YoPros, and established Rotary clubs interested in replicating the model, can reach out through the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach Rotary Club or Rotary District 6880 for details on membership and upcoming service opportunities.