Chicago attorney Paul Harris formed the Rotary Club in 1905 to bring together professionals with diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas, form lifelong friendships and give back to their communities. Rotary's name came from the group's early practice of rotating their meetings among the offices of its members. That was 114 years ago, and now the organization has 1.2 million members around the globe. Rotary's anniversary reminds General Darrell Manning about the beginning of the Rotary Club of Eagle-Garden City in 1996. We're not at 114 years yet, but we're still counting!Just as Rotary International started as a glimmer of an idea, the Eagle-Garden City Rotary Club had humble beginnings in 1996. The president of the Downtown Rotary Club called and asked me if I would be willing to start a new Rotary club in western Ada County. He said, "We will sponsor the effort."
I decided to take on the project. The first step was calling several friends and finding some who would be willing to help. Then we drew up a plan and called several others people, asking them to attend our kickoff meeting. Twelve people showed up, and before we adjourned, four others came and asked if they could join us. We soon had 25 members. After some difficulty trying to find a suitable name, we finally agreed to call our club the Eagle-Garden City Rotary. We completed the official paperwork to be recognized as a new club, and we were approved May 1, 1997.
Our club had held strong at between 20 and 25 members through the years, although we hope to grow our membership to 30. With our small size and enthusiastic membership, we can "turn on a dime" when it comes to service projects and new ideas. Whether you're already a Rotarian looking to visit other clubs or a non-Rotarian wondering what this international service organization is all about, come join us at a Thursday lunch meeting. You'll find the information on our homepage.