Remember Rotary Anns? We're Still Here!
Rotary Anns? Women of Rotary? Rotary Auxiliary? We’ve been known by many names since 1916 when Rotary International approved the formation of auxiliary clubs, but our official name in this area today is District 5400 Rotary Auxiliary. And we welcome new members.
As it happened in the early part of the 20th Century, two influential Rotary International wives were both named Ann (Ann Bunnier and Ann Gundaker). Those joining them in their desire to form auxiliary clubs affectionately then called themselves Rotary Anns. When approval finally came to form auxiliary clubs, the name stuck. Since Rotary Auxiliary clubs were, at their inception, wives of Rotarians, for years we were known as Rotary Anns or Women of Rotary. However, in 1989, when women were admitted into Rotary, those women were also eligible to join Rotary Auxiliaries, and many did.
Although Rotary Auxiliaries were officially sanctioned in 1916, it wasn’t until 1947 that Boisean J. Lyle Cunningham invited the wives of his Boise Rotary Club members to a luncheon in the Crystal Ballroom to see if there was sufficient interest to organize a local group. And in 1948, Boise Women of Rotary was organized. We have been active since that date and are now one of the few remaining Rotary Auxiliaries in the country. Today we are spouses of Rotarians, active Rotarians, and we’re in the process of amending our constitution to include “Friends of Rotarians” as eligible members.
Each Rotary Auxiliary Club is autonomous. There is no over-arching national organization, nor are we officially sponsored by Rotary International. Each group was organized locally to first, foster acquaintances among Rotary spouses, hoping that it would promote interested, helpful support to Rotarian husbands. The second purpose was to help spouses remain informed about our community and promote interest in local Rotary projects. Our bylaws reflect those purposes and we carry on those traditions.
However, we cannot provide financial support to any Rotary projects. We don’t do any fund-raising--we’re strictly a social organization. Our dues are $20 per year which covers the cost of printing and mailings and pays for our speaker’s lunch. We gather 7 times a year on the first Tuesday of the month, October through May (except January) to socialize over a lovely luncheon ($20 per person) at Hillcrest Country Club where we also enjoy an interesting speaker from the community.
Are you new to the area? Are you the spouse of a Rotarian? Do you have an interest in Rotary? Join us! We love to have guests, and we love new members even more! If you’re interested, contact President Susan Multanen at smultanen@hotmail.com or call at 208.860.0156 for more information about District 5400 Rotary Auxiliary.