Pineville Rotary Club installs new president, honors Rotarian of Year

Billy Gothreaux was installed as the new president of the Pineville Rotary Club while Adam McCoy was honored as Rotarian of the Year.

Gothreaux is a State Farm agent with 22 years experience. After opening his office in Ball about four years ago, he contacted then-president Kimberley Jones, now assistant district governor, about getting involved in Rotary. She encouraged him to join the Pineville club.

Running a small business and working with the public is something he always wanted to do because he wanted to be involved in the community and give back.

“I love what we do. I love the golf tournament,” said Gothreaux  about the club’s signature fundraiser, the annual Premier Golf Event. “I love the fact that we give all that money to local schools. We’re able to touch the lives of students and also teachers.”

Funds raised are used to purchase uniforms and personal hygiene items for the school closets of elementary schools in Pineville.

His wife Marcie is a school teacher, he added. “She knows that if a student doesn’t have what they need, they’re not able to learn. By what we do, we certainly help that.”

A few things he would like to do this year is increase membership.

“I think the more folks we have, the more reach we’re going to have,” he said. That will benefit club projects like the golf tournament.

Outgoing president Sylvia Coody said McCoy was chosen as Rotarian of the Year because no matter what they would ask him to do, he was there to do it and would even bring a team with him to help.

“This gentleman went out of his way to help us,” said Coody. “Probably the last two years when we needed something, we could call him, and he was there.”

“I enjoy giving back,” said McCoy. “That’s what God put us here to do. He said he was going to give us enough to give every good deed.

McCoy went on to say that he liked the friendships and community of Rotary.

“I like that we give to our schools. The money we raise doesn’t go anywhere but here,” he said. “That makes a big difference. I enjoy giving back to our community.”

Jones is the president-elect. Shawn Gorden was reinstalled as secretary and Justin Lemmons as treasurer.

The club meets at 7 a.m. on Thursday at the First United Methodist Church Pineville.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Pineville Rotary Club installs new president, honors Rotarian of Year