Rotary is a worldwide organization was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who was lonely in the big city and wished to recapture the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. He invited a mining engineer, coal merchant and tailor to join him for social interaction. As they rotated from one office to another for their meetings, they called their group Rotary and themselves Rotarians.
The first Rotarians: Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram Shorey, and Paul P. Harris, circa 1905-1912.
The aim or Rotary today is the same today as it was then. Rotarians are business and professional leaders who provide:
- humanitarian service
- encourage high ethical standards in all vocations,
- and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
- Locally - We support dozens of community groups ranging from sports teams and arts groups to agencies such as Feed the Need Durham, the Backdoor Mission, Durham Ukrainian Relief Fund, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (TAMI) and the Salvation Army just to name a few. We deliver Meals on Wheels, prepare and serve meals for the needy and help preserve the local environment. We collect food to support our local Food Banks.
- Every year, the Rotary Club of Whitby awards bursaries to local high school students who exemplify what it is to be a positive, contributing community member. We also recognize individuals and organizations who demonstrate Rotary ideals and significantly impact our community.
- Internationally - The club has supported the "End Polio Now" campaign, purchased a surgical table for doctors on the frontlines in Ukraine, assisted with the growth of a hospital in Zimbabwe, supported the construction of proper latrines and a garden at a school in Kenya and clean water projects throughout the world. We support an orphanage in India and help mothers teach children in Bangladesh among many other international project.
