The Rotary Foundation

“Rotary does the greatest amount of good, with the least amount of recognition of any service organization in the history of the world!”

                                                  Anonymous

John Lorenz congratulates The Lake Arrowhead Rotary Club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow, Carol Snyder.

Arch C. Klumph, founder of The Rotary Foundation, circa 1916 Courtesy of Rotary Images

In 1917, RI President Arch C. Klumph proposed that an endowment be set up “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” In 1928, when the endowment fund had grown to more than US$5,000, it was renamed The Rotary Foundation, and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International.

Two years later, the Foundation made its first grant of $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children. The organization, created by Rotarian Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen, later grew into the Easter Seals.

After Rotary’s founder, Paul P. Harris, died in 1947, contributions began pouring into Rotary interna-

tional, and the Paul Harris Memorial Fund was created to build the Foundation.

Over time a variety of programs have been established that meet a variety of human needs: Ambassadorial Scholarships, the Group Study Exchange programs, Matching Grants programs that benefit local communities, the Health, Hunger, and Humanity Grants, Rotary Grants of University Teachers. Polio Plus was announced in 1984-85 and the first peas forums were held in 1987-88, leading to the Foundation’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

Since the first donation of $26.50 in 1917, The Rotary Foundation has received contributions totaling more than $1 billion.

In January of this year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded $255 million to Rotary International in the global effort to eradicate polio, bringing the total committed by Rotary and the Gates Foundation to $555 million.

To date, more than one million individuals have been recognized as Paul Harris Fellows– people who have given $1,000 to the Annual Programs Fund or have had that amount contributed in their name.

Tom Bachman & Mary Kay Blasiar
Spencer Beeman
David Ben-Hur
Sheila Ben-Hur
Hugh Bialecki
Rev. Randy Buecheler
Kieth Burkart & Leslie Burkart
Tom Cutler
Michael Dest
Keith Douglas & Yolanda Douglas
Bruce Field
Bob Geer
Bob Gladwell
Glenn Goodwin
Ron Green & Nancy Green
Sherwin Grossman and Adele Grossman
Andrew Myers, Kathryn Myers
Clark Hahne
Tom Harris & Inge Harris
Jim Hoss
Lon LeBlanc
John Lorenz & Joanne Johnson
Norton Marks
Sharon McCormick & Joe McCormick
Stacy McKay
Jane McNairn