Rotary Minute
Posted by Jim Morr on May 10, 2017
Last week marked an important landmark in the history of the Monroe Rotary Club. Last Friday, May 5 (besides being Cinco de Mayo) the Monroe Rotary Club was 93 years old. On May 5, 1924, Rotary International issued the charter to our club. We were sponsored by the Ann Arbor Rotary Club.
An organizational meeting was actually held April 11 to make sure there was enough interest to justify forming a club, and there was no question there was more than sufficient interest.
The first official meeting was held June 3, 1924 at the Park Hotel. There were 150 people in attendance. 7 other Rotary Clubs were represented. There were 15 charter members who received their pins that evening, and Archie W. Stitt was installed as the first President.
The Club has always strived to put the theme “Service Above Self” in practice. The very first project was sponsoring a crippled children’s clinic in January, 1925. More than 100 children were examined in that one day.
Over the years we have been active with the Boy Scouts, participated in the World War II Bond drives, established student scholarships, for many years we put on the Pancake Breakfast, we have been active in the Rotary student exchange program, with the ISD students and Holiday Camp, we lead the drive to fund and build the Munson Park Playscape, Skateboard Park and Pavilion, our annual Breakfast with Santa has drawn hundreds over the years. The list truly goes on and on.
We could look back and be duly 93 years proud! But that is not what Rotarians do, as the saying goes: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”