History

“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. Our commitment to service is ongoing. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. By 2012, only three countries remain polio-endemic—down from 125 in 1988.

HISTORY OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF LITITZ

The Rotary Club of Lititz was chartered in 1925 and listed as Club Number 2188 in Rotary International.  Its initial membership was twenty-five.  Mr. Claude Marble, who was instrumental in organizing the Club, was its first President.  True to its slogan, "Service Above Self", during the early years the Club's existence was most unselfish and was active in sponsoring or supporting the many worthwhile activities as follows:  Crippled Children's Work, Boys' Welfare Movement, Boys' Work Activities, Safe and Sane Fourth, has paid hospital bills of the needy, Burial Grounds for the Revolutionary Soldiers, Boy Scouts, Visiting Nurse help, Lititz Fire Company, Kiddies Christmas Party, Lititz Outdoor Activities in Springs Park,, has aided the Park fund, Marble Camp, Community Chest, Red Cross Flood Relief, Youth Programs, Student Loan Program, Brethren Orphanage Christmas Parties, Institute of Lectures, and aided students in competition for prizes and scholarships.

"Service Above Self" Commitment of the Lititz Rotary Continues Today...

Today, there are 39 current members who willingly donate their time to projects that benefit the community and the world.  Its first major fundraiser was the Travelogue Program which was begun by Roy Brubaker in 1963 and became popular for quality family-oriented entertainment ever since.  The Club launched the Lititz Craft Show in 1979 with only local vendors setting up on a single block of Main Street.  Now it's grown into one of the largest craft fairs along the East Coast drawing craftsmen from throughout the U.S. and Canada.  

All of the net funds from these activities are given to over 30 non-profit service groups each year, as well as providing college loans and scholarships to many local students.  Locally supported groups include four local Fire Companies, Warwick Ambulance Association, Lititz-Warwick Community Chest, Lititz Historical Foundation, Lititz Public Library, Lititz recCenter, and Lititz Springs Park, just to name a few.  Since the Travelogue started over 50 years ago, the Rotary Club of Lititz has donated well over $1.25 million dollars community wide and helped over 500 students attend college.  

NOTABLE ROTARIANS

Rotarians are your neighbors, your community leaders and some of the world’s greatest history-makers: 
  • Warren G. Harding, U.S. president
  • Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer
  • Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of Mayo Clinic
  • Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of the wireless radio and Nobel laureate
  • Thomas Mann, German novelist and Nobel laureate
  • Friedrich Bergius, German chemist and Nobel laureate
  • Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American explorer
  • Jan Masaryk, foreign minister of Czechoslovakia
  • H.E. Soleiman Frangieh, president of Lebanon
  • Dianne Feinstein, U.S. senator
  • Manny Pacquaio, Filipino world-champion boxer and congressman
  • Richard Lugar, U.S. senator
  • Frank Borman, American astronaut
  • Edgar A. Guest, American poet and journalist
  • Sir Harry Lauder, Scottish entertainer
  • Franz Lehar, Austrian composer
  • Lennart Nilsson, Swedish photographer
  • James Cash Penney, founder of JC Penney Co.
  • Carlos Romulo, UN General Assembly president
  • Sigmund Sternberg, English businessman and philanthropist
Ready to make history with us? Ready to impact the Lititz Community? Get involved today.