“Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.”
—Paul P. Harris
Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.
The Rotary Club of South Bend was chartered in 1914 and has operated continuously. Our club currently has approximately 240 members and anticipate growth as we move forward with Service Above Self.