History of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg-Assiniboine

The Rotary Club of Assiniboine (Winnipeg) was chartered on June 18, 1973 with an initial membership of 33 business and professional men working or living in the St. James-Assiniboine area of Winnipeg.

While community service fund raising is a major activity, the club proudly recognises the skills of it's members who have made significant non-monetary contributions to the life of the local and international communities.  For example by assisting, as consultants, to board members of a large senior citizens housing facility that had been experiencing financial difficulty, and providing staffing for Salvation Army and Canadian Hemophilia projects.  Probably the club's greatest strength is in the development of people, particularly young people.  This is achieved through support for the one year and short term Youth Exchange Programs (YEP), International Camps, sponsoring students for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award camps (RYLA) and the Adventure Programs (AIC; AIT).... and sponsoring the district's first Rotaract Club.  We are proud to have sponsored over 150 students, since our inception to these programs

The club since it's beginning has participated in yearly fund raising to assist with a wide variety of projects ranging from financial support to under privileged children, enabling them to attend Scout and Guide Camp, providing funds to Grace Hospital ensuring modern state of the art equipment, such as Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitators and Broncofiberscopes, are available.  Support for Grace Hospice is on going and Skatepark West was the beneficiary of major startup funding.  It is significant that 60% of all funds raised have been for the benefit of local community projects.  The remainder supported international projects such as water pumps for India and the Phillipines, pharmaceutical drugs for Ghana, establishing micro-banks and a training school in India and in recent years disaster support through ShelterBox.

The operating funds are seperate from the community and international service fund raising and are derived solely from membership dues, fines and miscellaneous events.

In the fall of 1989, the name of the club was changed to the Rotary Club of Winnipeg-Assiniboine for easier recognition worldwide, as a Rotary club in the Winnipeg area.

Club members since inception meet each Thursday at 5:45 p.m.  The location for the meeting has changed over the years from;

• • • The Downs Motor Inn................................1972-81
    • Birchwood Inn.............................................1981-88 
    • Assiniboine Gordon Inn on the Park.......1989 to 2018
    • Holiday Inn Airport West  ............September 2018 to present 

      Join us on Thursday evenings at 5:30 pm at

          1975 Portage Avenue