The Rotary Club of Johns Creek will celebrate 10 years this year.

President-elect Luke Haymond, one of the club’s charter members, helped found the club in 2000 when he and other charter members saw a need for a more service opportunities in the area.

“We felt like there was a large contingent of professionals as well as concerned residents in the area who wanted to provide service in the community,” he said. “Johns Creek seemed like an obvious location.”

Because Johns Creek did not exist as a city, the club had to receive special permission from Rotary International to use the name.

Haymond will take over as president this summer, but the role is not new to him. He was president in 2005 and had to step in this year when the president-elect had to leave the club unexpectedly.

According to Haymond, the club’s membership number has hovered at about 30 since being chartered.

“We face an interesting challenge,” the once and future president said. “This past year we felt some pressures of the economic downturn.”

The club, which meets Mondays at 12:15 p.m. at Johns Creek Baptist Church, is open to extending membership to those who are interested in serving the community and taking on international projects.

“Rotary is unique when compared to other service organizations in that it doesn’t only have a local, community perspective; it also has an international aspect,” Haymond said. “If you wear the Rotary pin, you can be in Ireland or Sri Lanka, and people will know that you stand for promoting peace and good will in the world.”

Internationally, the club works with an organization that builds dorms for AIDS orphans in Kenya.

Some of the club’s local projects include cleaning up the Chattahoochee River with Riverkeepers, forming the Interact Clubs at three local high schools and providing dictionaries for third grade classrooms.

May 3, the club will hold its fourth annual Golf Tournament to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“We focus a lot on children, but the last three years we’ve gotten away from supporting kids directly,” said Chitra Subbarayan, past president and charter member. “We’ve given to North Fulton Community Charities and other organizations, but with this year’s tournament we wanted to get back to our commitment to children.”

The tournament will take place at the Standard Club, and the Rotarians are still looking for participants and sponsors.