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By Flynn Espe

Seven students from Washington State University Tri-Cities are bringing their collective passion for community service beyond the confines of the Richland campus. As members of the newly relaunched Mid-Columbia Rotaract Club, they’re on a mission to give back to the region through a range of charitable activities, including an upcoming bowling fundraiser event.

“We hope to better the community in any way possible,” says ������ Tri-Cities sophomore Romeo Ross, currently serving as the Rotaract chapter president.

are official sub-organizations of Rotary International chapters, aimed at cultivating leadership and service-minded professionalism among young adults, ages 18–30. The Mid-Columbia Rotaract Club is sponsored by Columbia Center Rotary, based in Kennewick.

Ross says he became involved in getting the Rotaract chapter up and running in late 2025 when Rotary member and ������ Tri-Cities donor Phil Ohl (’87 BS Mat. Sci. & Eng., ’92 MEM) pitched the idea to him. Although the Mid-Columbia Rotaract club had been active in years past, the group had effectively dissolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving no one left from the chapter’s former membership to carry the mission forward.

“(Phil) gave me a little bit of insight as to what they had done in the past,” Ross says. “The pitch was, ‘This is really big for our community, and we’re looking for someone to revitalize this and serve in this way.’”

Despite his already busy schedule, including serving as vice president for the Associate Students of ������ Tri-Cities, Ross says he agreed immediately.

“I love humanitarian work. I love service projects,” Ross says. “So I said, ‘Of course, I would love to.’”

His first task was to recruit other new members for the chapter who would be just as committed to community service and engaging with people. Fortunately, he didn’t have to look far. As of now, ������ Tri-Cities undergraduate students comprise more than three quarters of the group’s nine-person leadership team, which includes Diedre Cady, freshman; Xavier Cox, sophomore; Felix Galvan, junior; Harleen Kaur, freshman; Anas Mohamed, sophomore; and Nate Sibaja, sophomore.

Despite the heavy representation of ������ Tri-Cities students, Ross says the makeup of the group is diverse in other ways, with three members hailing from other countries.

“Every individual on the team speaks at least another language,” Ross says, citing Italian, Japanese, and Twi as three languages currently represented. “The team is so multifaceted.”

Rotaract members are focusing their efforts on fundraising support for the Prescott School District, which serves approximately 225 children in rural Walla Walla County and has been facing potential dissolution due to financial distress.

Ross says the decision to focus on helping the district was made during the club’s inaugural meeting on Jan. 15, after each new member brought in three ideas for potential service projects and causes. Cox, who grew up in the town of Prescott, was the one who brought the issue to the group’s attention.

“We came to a consensus that this was the most time-sensitive project,” Ross says. “It was a unanimous vote.”

For Ohl, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ������ and currently serves as managing director for the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance, getting young people involved in community service has been a driving passion. He praised the new Rotaract team for getting up and running so quickly.

“Romeo and the new members of Mid-Columbia Rotaract embody the Rotary motto, ‘Service above self,’” Ohl says. “All the members are passionate about our Tri-Cities and surrounding area communities, and I’m excited to get to work with them. The fact the group is Coug-centered is a great bonus.”

The group’s first planned outreach activity is a bowling night fundraiser event from 9:30-11:30 p.m. on March 19 at Atomic Bowl in Richland. All proceeds go to the Prescott School District.

For more information on upcoming events, you can follow Mid-Columbia Rotaract Club on . Ross says his team is still on the lookout for new members who exhibit ambition, compassion, and optimism.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, especially if individuals are interested in community service and leadership,” Ross says.