About Rotary and Portage Rotary Club

The first Rotary Club was formed when attorney Paul P. Harris called together a meeting of three business acquaintances in downtown Chicago, United States on February 23, 1905. The members chose the the name Rotary because initially they rotated subsequent weekly club meetings to each other's offices. Although, within a year, the Chicago club became so large it became necessary to adopt the now-common practice of a regular meeting place.

Rotary was introduced to Portage la Prairie in the summer of 1951. On June 22nd, Rotary International Headquarters in Evanson, Illinois, sent a bulletin to Portage confirming the acceptance of an application for a charter to officially star a club in Portage. The first meeting was held on June 28th with some 115 people attending, including guests and charter members of the Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie (Portage Rotary Club).

 

Since its inception, the Portage Rotary Club has been involved in numerous community-focused projects and initiatives, including more recently:

Today, Rotary members come from all backgrounds representing various vocations, career paths and aspirations, all while striving to make their community better.

The club currently meets Tuesdays from 12-1pm at Canad Inns (2401 Saskatchewan Ave W). The last Tuesday of the month is usually an evening meeting on location elsewhere in Portage. Lunch is available for between $15-20, but must be ordered ahead of time (as per email list). 

Most meetings will feature a speaker, usually an individual, small group or organization that is local to Portage covering a wide range of topics; sometimes it can be to educate or create awareness, maybe a 'call for help' or requests for donations/funding for various initiatives. Guests may also attend.

 

Some meetings are 'business only', catching club members up on various events and happenings, discussion of upcoming projects and brief reviews from club executives.