History
A Distinguished History
The Rotary Club of Wilmington began meeting in 1914. The first organizational meeting, with 22 members, was held at the Hotel du Pont, where the club has met continuously to the present day.
On April 1, 1915, Rotary International granted the club its charter, making it the 148th club to join the world-wide organization that now numbers over 35,000 clubs.
We are one of 40+ clubs that comprise Rotary International District 7630, covering all of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Engaging and thought-provoking programs have always been a hallmark of our weekly meetings. We are proud to welcome speakers who educate us on business, the economy, issues important to our local service area the City of Wilmington, and a broad spectrum of topics including government, education, politics, social reform, health care, the arts and entertainment.
The Rotary Club of Wilmington celebrated its Centennial in 2014-2015 with several events, including an anniversary gala at the Gold Ballroom of the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington. We are the only Rotary club in the world that has met at the same location for its entire existence.
From the beginning, the club has encouraged and fostered the ideal of service, reaching out to the community with hands-on and financial support. Awarding scholarships has always had a high priority, beginning in 1924, and continuing to the present. Members joined with the five other Greater Wilmington clubs that comprise Area 1 to develop and construct the Can-Do Playground designed for children of all abilities that opened in 2007. In 2015, in celebration of the Club’s Centennial, the Club embarked on a project to convert the little utilized H. Fletcher Brown Park in downtown Wilmington to an inviting venue for educational activities and neighborhood gatherings, and includes plans for an amphitheater, education stations and opening up a handicapped accessible inviting park gateway. We continue to expand our legacy of service each year.
On an international level, the club generously supported RI’s program to eradicate polio in the world, participated in a project that led to the construction of a potable water system for a remote town in Guatemala, and supported scholarships for young girls in a new girls’ school in Lahore Pakistan. The Club annually sponsors a program, Rise Against Hunger, where club members join together to pack 10,000 meals each year that are shipped to hungry children in third world countries.
The Rotary Club of Wilmington has rich and rewarding tradition of service that we hope will continue for another 100 years!