About Our Club
 
Welcome to The Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Club History Page
 
  • In 1905, in Chicago, Paul Harris organized the first Rotary Club. The first Rotary project was a public washroom built in 1907 outside Chicago’s new City Hall. It remained there for a few decades.
 
  • In June of 1918, the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) was established. The original name was “Border Cities Rotary Club Walkerville, Sandwich and Ford City”. By September chartered with 25 members, meetings were held at the Board of Trade where new members served the food to encourage fellowship.
 
  • In 1922, President Art Fitzgerald with the support of 9 other Rotary Clubs, started the Ontario Society for Crippled Children and was its first President. Our involvement continued on for 48 years!
 
  • A meeting with the Chamber of Commerce resulted in the founding of Metropolitan Hospital in 1923. Shortly after, a Youth Services Committee was established to provide “guidance to youth” in high schools. Later flourishing to become the Guidance Program.

 

  • In the early forties Rotarians were also active in the war efforts: by providing mobile canteens, simulated air raids, entertaining servicemen and sending parcels.
 
  • The death of Paul Harris in 1947 sparked the start of the Rotary Foundation Fund and shortly after the Rotary Club of Windsor Foundation.
 
  • In the 1950’s membership grew above 170, seed money to start Goodwill industries and fundraising for Easter Seals took place.
 
  • During the 1960’s bursaries were established at the University of Windsor and disaster relief for Toronto as a result of the effects of Hurricane Hazel.

 

  • Since 1978 Art in the Park has been extremely successful in aiding the restoration of Willistead Manor as well as to support many other worthwhile projects.
 
  • Many projects took place over the 1970’s including the building of the Essex County Children's Rehabilitation Center (1.3M), a children's room at the new Art Gallery ($30,000), the Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation program and A.L.P.H.A project- Apartment Living for Physically Handicapped Adults.
 
  • In 1987 for the first time women are admitted to Rotary. Evelyn Slobasky & Nancy Murray were the first female members of Rotary (1918). Since then, Rotary (1918) has had six female presidents.

 

  • In 1993, we spearheaded a community initiative to build Hart Walkers, an assistive device which permits some children with physical disabilities to be mobile and donated $85,000 to begin the research for this device. We established a partnership with community metal cutters to organize the Windsor Hart Walker Project. The project involved the building and assembly of Hart Walkers by over a 100 local companies and Rotary volunteers. 150 walkers have been provided to CP kids and their families locally and around the world.
 
  • In 1994, we helped establish the Rotary Home for Children and Youth at Maryvale and provided $100,000 for renovations. In 2006, we made an additional donation of over $200,000.
 
  • High School Volunteer of the Year program was established in the 2000’s recognizing outstanding youth in the area of volunteerism (now the Dr. Clare R. Macleod Secondary School Volunteer Awards). That same year the Children's Safety Village of Windsor and Essex County was incorporated.
 
  • There are over 1.23 million Rotarians worldwide with over 34,335 clubs in about 530 districts in 167 countries.