About 200 members of the Rotary Club of Duluth got an eye-opening presentation about the history, the current work and the future of the Duluth Bethel.

Bethel Executive Director Dennis Cummings (above right) was invited by the club and President Branden Robinson (above left) to share the story of the Bethel at the May 12 club luncheon. The Rotary Club of Duluth, also known as Club 25, is the largest Rotary organization in the state of Minnesota and one of the oldest in the nation.

Cummings focused on the 142-year history of the Bethel but also brought club members up to date, sharing how the current work and activity at the Bethel is influenced by its history and how it responds to the different needs of modern society.

Not that long ago, Cummings said, individuals recovering from substance abuse might reveal that their first experience with the substance they were abusing–likely alcohol–came as teenagers. That alcohol likely was provided by friends. Now, he said, the substance might be methamphetamine. And the person who might have provided the drug? It likely could be a parent.

“That’s just one of the differences we’re dealing with today,” he said.

The example and others opened eyes of Rotarians about the state of substance abuse treatment and community incarceration programs at the Bethel–as well as how the organization has been there for the Twin Ports and its people through many different turns.

Several Rotarians asked questions about the Bethel’s funding sources. Cummings, who also is a member of the Rotary Club of Duluth, told the group that the Bethel is working to diversify funding sources, including through donations made through the organization’s new website.