L. Wirt Markham, who selected nineteen other Lamar men to join him as charter members, started the Lamar Rotary Club. He was given the honorary title of President Emeritus for his sponsorship. The charter was issued on April 1, 1921.

Since 1921, the Lamar Rotary Club has been involved in many community activities and raising funds for many worthwhile projects including those established by Rotary International.

The club continues to expand the funding of a scholarship endowment fund at Lamar Community College through the LCC Development Foundation.

Avenues of Service

For over seventy years (since 1927), The program of Rotary has been carried out on four Avenues of Service (originally called channels). These avenues - Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service and International Service - closely mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary:

Club Service.

includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting attendance requirements.

Club Service focuses on how we work together as a club; what the club can do for each of us and what each of us can do for the club.

Some of the regular activities we enjoy are:

Various socials during the Club Year,

Family of Rotary Day once a quarter where our family members can attend a meeting with us.

Our fundraisers fall under Club Service. Each member is expected to help with one of these projects.

Community Service.

includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Many official Rotary programs are intended to meet community needs, whether it is to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled, combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth.

Lamar Rotary prides itself on giving back to our community. Every Rotarian is encouraged to help in activities that make the community a better place to be.

We are always available to lend a hand in serving barbeque at the ABCDE Show, Sand & Sage Fair, or any other event as needed.

Lamar Rotary constructed a building to house the cemetery directory. This information has never been available in Lamar and should be a valuable tool for many as soon as it is completed. During Rotary's 100^th year the club built a gazebo in the park.  We have been a supporter of National Foster Child month. We have installed new benches at the Lamar Middle School and also at LCC along the walking trails.

Lamar Rotary club delivers more than 300 dictionaries to 3^rd graders and their teachers in the 4 counties of South East Colorado each year.

District Assembly & Conference is also a major focus. The club's participation in District and International functions is a good indication of the club's strength and commitment. It is vital to the club that it be well represented by enthusiastic members, both new and veteran.

Since 1993, Lamar Rotary has been a guiding force in establishing and maintaining the Rotary International Youth Leadership Conference which brings young people together for three and a half days to encourage them in development of leadership skills necessary for the future.

Vocational Service.

focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent their professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical standards in business. For decades, Rotarians having been applying the "4-Way Test" to their business and personal relationships and in recent years, a "Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions" has given expression to their concern for ethical standards in the workplace. From offering career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace, Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service.

Each of us represents a special vocation. Through our work contacts, we spread the 'ideal of service' to those around us. Programs available to Rotary Members include:

Rotary Youth Leadership Assistance (RYLA) programs are geared to train high school students in leadership skills for use in school and later in adult life.

During the month of October Lamar Rotary club gave out four vocational awards:  Private Industry Award, Education Award, Public service Award and Health Care Award.  This hopes to be an annual event.

Lamar Rotary club recognizes outstanding business and professional people who apply the 4-Way Test everyday with an award.

International Service.

describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace. The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide.

All four avenues of service are important, but Rotary has been uniquely successful in fostering international service. Rotary is an international organization, dedicated to world peace through understanding between different people in different cultures. Here are some of our recent efforts:

Exchange students spend a year living and studying in a foreign country as a guest of local Rotary families. Lamar has hosted many "inbound" students from Australia, Argentina, Colombia, New Zealand, and Ukraine among others, and has sent "outbound" students abroad to Japan and other places.

Group Study Exchange or GSE teams spend up to 6 weeks touring a Rotary district in another country, an in-depth cultural exchange for a Rotarian team leader and 4 to 6 non-Rotarians in their 20's and 30's. The team travels from club to club, spending a day or two in each place with a Rotary family. At the same time, an American team from our district goes to the home district of the foreign team. Recent GSE teams have been from/to England, Scandinavia, Singapore, Zaire, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Japan.

An international project of interest is Rotary's worldwide Polio Plus program, aimed at eradicating the disease completely by the year 2005, Rotary's centennial anniversary.

Over the years, the Lamar Rotary Club has held special events with the proceeds going to this specific project.

Lamar Rotary along with 3 other clubs in the Arkansas valley are in the process of providing local financial support for a project that will construct 1 mile of power line (called the Golden Mile) in the Tarahumara Indian Community of San Ignacio de Arareco, Bocoyna, Chihuahua State in Mexico. This power line will allow the students of the school to have heat in the winter, lights in the dark hours and evenings, and clean potable water. Matching funds will be provided by our Local Rotary District (5470), the Rotary club of Chihuahua Mexico, Rotary District 4110 in Mexico and Rotary International.

The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs.

The Foundation's Humanitarian Programs fund international Rotary club and district projects to improve the quality of life, providing health care, clean water, food, education, and other essential needs primarily in the developing world. One of the major Humanitarian Programs is PolioPlus, which seeks to eradicate the polio virus worldwide by the end of 2000. Through its Educational Programs, the Foundation provides funding for some 1200 students to study abroad each year. Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing countries and for exchanges of business and professional people. Former participants in the Foundation's programs have the opportunity to continue their affiliation with Rotary as Foundation Alumni.

The Rotary Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Included in this section is information pertaining to the history of The Rotary Foundation, its financial support, its Alumni programs, training and resources, and the SHARE system.