Rotary Foundation

Donations to The Rotary Foundation 
Payable to “The Rotary Foundation” 
c/o David Wiechmann 
One Valero Way MS B3C 
San Antonio, TX 78249-1616

You can use the attached form to complete a credit card payment to The Rotary Foundation: Rotary Foundation Credit Card Form 
Or, contribute online at Rotary.org 
NOTICE: Please be sure to inform David Wiechmann atdavid.wiechmann@valero.com or 345.2378 of any donations you have made.

Annual Programs Fund (Every Rotarian, Every Year) 
The mission of the Annual Programs Fund mirrors that of The Rotary Foundation: to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

Contributions to the Annual Programs Fund through the Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative are the primary source of funding for Foundation programs, which cover more than 160 countries and geographical areas on seven continents. From digging water wells for villages in Africa to teaching basic literacy skills to children in Latin America, during any given moment, thousands of Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise. All contributions to the Annual Programs Fund are spent wisely on quality Rotary projects.  

Paul Harris Status 
Members can find out their Paul Harris Fellowship standing by either logging into The Rotary Foundation website athttps://riweb.rotaryintl.org/ or contacting David Wiechmann.  You will need your membership ID; this can be found in your membership profile on our website or by contacting webmaster@dominionrotary.com

Paul Harris Society of District 5840: 
Each donor who annually contributes $1,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund will be awarded membership into the Paul Harris Society. 

For more details and information, click to view / download the application. 

Obituary printed in the Chicago Tribune

Monday, 27 January 1947 
PAUL P. HARRIS DIES; FOUNDER OF ROTARY CLUBS-- 
Won World-Wide Fame Thru Organization

Paul P. Harris, founder of Rotary International, and it’s president emeritus, died yesterday in his home, Comely Bank, at 10856 Longwood dr.  He was 79, and had been in failing health in recent years. He was a lawyer in private life.

Mr. Harris founded Rotary in 1905, and since then had seen it grow from single club with a few members in Chicago to 5,638 clubs in 75 countries with more than 259,000 members.

A spirit of loneliness influenced Mr. Harris in part to create the world-wide organization.  He was born in Racine, Wis., but reared at in Vermont.  He was educated at Princeton and the University of Iowa in 1891.  For five years he roamed, working as a newspaper man, an actor, and a salesman.  He worked on fruit farms, and twice worked his way to Europe on cattle boats. 

Beginning of Rotary

In 1896 Mr. Harris settled in Chicago and began the practice of law. Although friendly by nature, he had few friends, and he saw others, like himself not native to the city, in similar situation.

One day in 1900 Mr. Harris had dinner with a lawyer friend, and latter the two strolled the neighborhood where his colleague introduced Mr. Harris to several neighborhood merchants as his friends.  Up to then Mr. Harris had not made social friends out of this business friends, or clients.  The neighborhood experience gave him an idea.

Mr. Harris decided to organize a club of representative business and professional men in fellowship and friendship.  Three of his clients, Silvester Schiele, Gustavus Loehr, and Harry Ruggles, joined with him.  They met periodically in the old Mme. Galli restaurant, often called the birthplace of Rotary, where over the dinner table they discussed plans for the club.

Other Clubs Formed

On Feb. 23, 1905, Rotary was born, and was so-called because it’s members met in rotation at their several places of business. The idea spread, and similar clubs were formed in other cities.  Essence of Rotary’s purpose was and is--serve; high standards in business, professional and community life.

View the original article (with links) here: rotaryfirst100.org

The information above is reprinted from: 
RGHF http://www.rghf.org (Rotary Global History Fellowship)

Chris Bryd 
Sam Gott 
Rafael Orellana 
Ted Resnick