Million $$$$ Meal

Join us at the Golf Club of Cape Cod for our annual Million Dollar Meal!  Please bring your favorite dish to share as well as an auction item!  Our meal ticket price will go to RI and our auction monies raised go to benefit all the good works of the club. It is always a great time!

History of Million $$$ Meal

1955/56 - Fred Lipsky, serving as the Rotary Club of Stoughton President, indicates to the club that the amount disbursed for Foundation purposes appears to be somewhat small of an international organization of 500,000 members.   The club develops a plan to generate additional Foundation funds under Fred Lipsky's leadership. 

1956/57 - Rotary Club of Stoughton substitutes its regular meal at its regular meeting place with a sandwich and a coffee while charging club members the regular meal price of US$2.00. The event was called a 'Paul Harris Memorial Meal' and the club contributed the money generated to The Rotary Foundation. 

1958/1959 - The Rotary Club of Stoughton holds another, now annual 'Paul Harris Memorial Meal' during Rotary Foundation Week.

1960/61 - District Governor Chet Claff, of then District 795 with 47 clubs, recalled what the Stoughton club had done in 1959.  He considers the numbers based on US$2.00 per member with the 500,000 Rotarians worldwide and realizes that a global program like this could generate US$1,000,000 or more.   District Governor Claff works with the Stoughton club and re-names the program 'The Million Dollar Meal.'

District Governor Chet Claff launches a mailing to District Governors of all 267 Rotary Districts outlining the program and asking that each of the District Governors speak about the program when they meet with their clubs.  DG Claff receives positive feedback from clubs all over the world and then takes the message and plan throughout District 795.  

DG Chett Claff then presents 47 checks from each club in District 795 totaling US$6,509.40 to Rotary International President J. Ed McLaughlin in Evanston, Illinois.   This number is nearly US$1,000 more than the original goal for the Districts 2800 Rotarians.  Additional reports indicate that another 20 Rotary Districts raised US$17,550 for The Rotary Foundation that year.

1985 - Rotary International launches the program that will become PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative, with an initial pledge of US$120 million.

1988/1989 - Stoughton Club President Norman Berg initiates another worldwide mailing to almost 500 District Governors, promoting the 'Million Dollar Meal' program.  Sixty-three District Governors responded supporting the program.  Reports indicate that over US$7.5 million were generated from clubs around the globe and proceeds were donated to The Rotary Foundation in support of the PolioPlus Program.  

Rotarians raise US$ 247 million for  PolioPlus, more than double the original fundraising goal of US$120 million.  Inspired in part by Rotary's initiate, the World Health Assembly passes a resolution to eradicate Polio, paving the way for the foundation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. 

1995 - Rotarians and other volunteers immunize 165 million children in China and India in a single week.  Rotary International begins the PolioPlus Partners Program to enable Rotarians in Polio-free countries to provide financial support to their fellow Rotarians in Polio-affected countries for immunization campaigns and other Polio eradication activities.

2003 - The Rotary Foundation raises US$119 million from its membership in a 12-month campaign.  Rotary's total contribution to Polio eradication exceeds $500 million.  Only seven countries remain polio-endemic. 

2005 - The amount raised for the Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign of 2002-2003 now totals more than US$135 million. 

2009 - Rotary International's overall contribution to the eradication efforts totals nearly US$800 million. In January, Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foudation pledge a combined further US$555 million - which includes Rotary's $200 Million Challenge - all of it in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Only four countries remain Polio-endemic.  They are Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Nigeria.  

Rotary clubs throughout the world continue to use the 'Million Dollar Meal' program as a method to fundraise for The Rotary Foundation and other charities.