Our projects: More than a century of service above self
Since its founding in 1915, the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne has been a club of action, with a wide variety of service projects. Here is a summary of key service projects throughout our history.
Early years: Sponsored Fort Wayne’s first public swimming pool in Lawton Park, served as a “booster club” for Fort Wayne’s entry in the Central Baseball League, held a leadership role in routing the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne, instrumental in founding the Irene Byron Tuberculosis Sanitarium and, in general, “Acted as a clearinghouse and sponsoring organization for most every worthwhile civic project.”[1]
Mid-century: Sponsored a Boy Scout Troop at the former County Home, established and has maintained a robust Rotary Youth Exchange program, and held large annual banquets in the ‘50s and ‘60s for international students and other “internationals” living in Fort Wayne.
1980s: Launched a $100,000 campaign to support Rotary International’s “STOP POLIO NOW” quest to eradicate polio. The club met the goal within 90 days—with a 5 percent bonus.
1990s: Donated the “Avenue of Trees” lining Clinton Street and Headwaters Park.
2000 and beyond: In 2004, the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne adopted Washington Elementary School in downtown Fort Wayne—an endeavor that continues today. In 2005, in honor of Rotary International’s 100th anniversary, the Club established and still maintains the “Circle of Hope” in Headwaters Park.
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Youth:
The Club financially supports these youth-based projects. Figures are annual allocations.
- Sponsors annual Rotary High School Speech Contest ($500 in prizes)
- Awards annual Cleo Fox Music Camp Scholarships to high school students ($3,000)
- Hosts inbound and outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students: 2014-15 inbound student from Lima, Peru, and outbound student traveled to Denmark; 2015-16 inbound student from Germany and outbound student traveled to Slovak Republic. The club has hosted 34 inbound exchange students from 16 different countries and sponsored 27 outbound students from 18 countries. ($2,600)
- Conducts annual “World Affairs Conference” for area high school students ($1,500)
- Assists in hosting area Rotary Youth Leadership Award weekend for area high school students ($3,700)
- Sponsors high school “Student Rotarians,” with one student awarded scholarship ($1,000)
- “Adopted” Washington Elementary School – various projects and events ($3,000)
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Environmental: Clean up area riverbanks twice a year.
- Conduct blood drive (American Red Cross) during holidays.
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Rotary Club of Fort Wayne 2015 Centennial: Celebrating through Service
The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne is celebrated its 2015 Centennial Year through these three significant tracts:
- A lasting legacy gift of the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne Centennial Tower to the greater Fort Wayne community
- An international service project to build a middle school in the Village of Gléi, Togo (West Africa)
- A local service project to install 100 Little Free Libraries around the greater Fort Wayne community
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Today: The Club is engaging in a series of forums and discussions to determine key efforts for its “second century of service.”
