Club History
The Glastonbury Rotary Club, Inc. is part of Rotary International, an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary began in February 1905, when four men met for the first time in Chicago. One of these men, Paul Harris, named the club “Rotary” because the members rotated meetings at different business locations. By August 1910, there were 16 clubs forming the National Association of Rotary Clubs. Rotary became International in 1912 when clubs formed in Canada and Great Britain.
The Glastonbury Rotary Club was chartered by Rotary International on March 15, 1948. There were 21 “charter members” representing the respected business and professional leadership of the community. Today we have approximately 65 members who contribute their time and resources to the Club’s many community events and services.
The Glastonbury Rotary Club’s membership lives the principal motto of Rotary which is “Service Above Self.” Membership is by invitation to men and women of any age, race, or national origin who maintain leadership roles in their professions. Members must live or work in the Greater Glastonbury area and be of good character and reputation. Our membership represents a wide cross-section of the community, with occupations ranging from architecture to waste management.
The Glastonbury Rotary Club meets every Monday evening for fellowship and interesting and informative programs dealing with topics of local and global importance. We meet from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, Glastonbury. Attendance is important in Rotary and members are expected to attend another Rotary Club meeting if they cannot attend at their home club.
Our ongoing commitment
Rotary members have not only been present for major events in history — we’ve also been a part of them. Three key traits have remained strong throughout our history:
We’re truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Today, members in nearly every country work to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.
We persevere in tough times. During World War II, Rotary clubs in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain were forced to disband. Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally, and after the war, Rotary members came together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.
We’re committed to service, and we’re not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, polio remains endemic in only three countries — down from 125 in 1988.
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